Hollywood Yet To Understand Asian Market: Tom Hanks

Singapore: Tom Hanks, who has entertainedglobal audiences with films right from Philadelphia to DaVinci Code, says Hollywood can neither understand cinematicdemands in Asia nor change to reflect it.

Talking about growing Asian film markets just beforethe premiere of his film Larry Crowne at ScreenSingapore, afilm business event held June 5-12, the 54-year-old actor saidthe success or failure of Hollywood films in Asia cannot bepredicted.

"Hollywood is not going to change. Whether Asiansocieties will relate to a film, we idiots in Hollywood can'tsay. It could do horribly at home and fabulously here or viceversa," Hanks told PTI.

Fifteen years after his debut directorial That ThingYou Do!, Hanks has directed his second feature LarryCrowne, beside producing, co-writing and acting in the leadalongside Julia Roberts.

The film is a romantic comedy drama about a man whogets fired from his job, goes back to college and falls inlove with his teacher.

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"It's a great gift to go back to college. I went tojunior community college, and Shakespeare changed my life. Istill know the Tempest, Othello and Richard III becauseour teacher was so good. And the astronomy class in theplanetarium was magical. Most of us had at least one teacherwho was fabulous," Hanks said.

Speaking about the challenges of wearing multiplehats, the actor-turned-filmmaker says, "Nia Vardalos (My BigFat Greek Wedding) and I worked on the script for six years. Iwanted to explore the reinvention of a man who loses his joband goes back to college.

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"We didn't want to just illustrate the tragic fate ofan unemployed man, but be rooted in reality and yet fomentfaith in oneself. It wasn't as difficult as you'd imagine, tojump back and forth before and behind the camera, because Iwas prepared for it."

Hanks said he decided to make the film himself as hecouldn't trust any other director do justice to his script.

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"When I write for myself, I won't give the script toanother director to ruin the hard work I've done. I knew thecontent and tone of my script, so I threw myself in the ring."

Explaining the writing process, Hanks said, "Nia wrotethe woman's side, and I wrote the man's side. Often, when menwrite for women, they write, 'When are you coming home?' andwhen women write for men, they write, 'All you care about issports'.

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"Also, earlier the script had Julia move to Larry'shouse. But Nia said, 'Larry's got to lose his house, lose theold - like a baptism before starting a new self'. So I lost myjob and house, went to college, and realised that gettingfired was the best thing that happened to me."

When asked whether playing the common man isprofitable at a time when superheroes and Transformers areruling the roost, Hanks said original and authentic narrativesalways has a chance with the audience.

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"A lot of superheroes are so because of technology,otherwise, it's the same narrative and format, basically amorality play. So if you come up with an anti-thesis thatsticks out, that has original, authentic and inspiringwriting, you have a chance," said Hanks.

What would happen if he was caught in a Larry Crownesituation and lost his job and house? "I have four kids andI'd get them to feed me," he joked.

Not that either Hanks or his kids need to worry as thestar is already onto his next film, Cloud Atlas, directed byTom Tykwer and the Wachowski Brothers of Matrix fame.