Tom Hanks is not only one of the sweetest celebs but also a total pro, and it might seem like absolutely nothing phases him. But the actor, who is the memorable voice of Toy Story‘s Woody, opened up about filming a scene that truly unnerved him.
Hanks was interviewed on Conan O’Brien’s podcast Conan Needs A Friend and said that when he shot an important scene for Captain Phillips, which ended up becoming “the most truly scary, intense, real-life scene” of his entire career as he and his co-stars didn’t have a clue who the four men portraying the pirates were. As reported by Entertainment Weekly, the actor explained the scenario where “we’re overweight, old, middle-aged guys who are gonna be taken over by these pirates, and we have never met the guys who play the pirates.”
Eventually, the magic of filmmaking came back and Hanks felt better. The actor also told a hilarious story of how one of the actors portraying the pirates, Mahat M. Ali, said “I can’t believe I’m working with Forrest Gump.”
The actor explained that the fictional scene felt real — and left them petrified and “bug-eyed” in terror — because “we all went there” and “Four of the scariest human beings I have ever met come in” and yelled while “slapping” and “hitting” and “pushing us down.” To make things even more intense, the men were holding actual guns.
Captain Phillips was released in 2013 and Hanks played Richard Phillips, who is at the helm of the Maersk Alabama when he comes across Somali pirates and they kidnap him. In 2010, Phillips’ memoir, A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea, was published. The movie proves to be an even more horrifying account since audiences can see the palpable fear on Hanks’ face.
The entire filmmaking experience was lifelike since the actors shot the movie on a container ship instead of a soundstage, which Hanks recounted in an interview with NPR. When talking to the real Phillips, he learned Phillips had thought he wouldn’t survive the perils he faced during two of his voyages before the hijack. After dealing with a fire and hurricane, Phillips realized he was resilient. That is definitely a theme of Captain Phillips, and Hanks must have felt that way when he got through this anxiety-inducing scene.
Captain Phillips wasn’t the first time Hanks had a challenging time making a movie. When he filmed Cast Away, which was released in 2000, he had a cut on his leg that became infected. The actor had to be hospitalized and there was a three-week pause in filming.
Hanks’ admission proves how committed he is to making each movie the best it can be. Whether it’s playing a sweet, lonely man living at an airport in The Terminal, a kid transported to the future in Big, or everyone’s favorite person, Fred Rogers, the Oscar-winner handles each part like he truly is living and breathing the character.