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Tom Hanks On Clint Eastwood’s Direction Of ‘Sully’: ‘It’s Quite Astounding’

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 23:01 PST, Sep 8, 2016

Tom Hanks will soon appear on the big screen to save the lives of 155 airline passengers as he maneuvers his plane to make an emergency water landing, according to Entertainment Tonight.

Sully, Tom Hank’s upcoming movie, tells the story of Captain Chesley Sullenberger, who became a national hero in 2009 after he executed an emergency landing in New York’s Hudson River when the aircraft was rendered ineffective after hitting a flock of geese in the air. Tom Hanks plays the pivotal role in the film, who later suffered from shock and trauma despite receiving accolades from President George W. Bush for saving the lives of his passengers and crew.

Variety reports that, many days after the traumatic incident, Captain Sullenberger had to face harrowing investigations that questioned his professional expertise, morality, and sanity as well.

Tom Hanks’ upcoming movie might be exposing the audience to the other side of Captain Sullenberger’s heroic story. In the opinion of the Forrest Gump actor, the aviation feat is still to be considered one of the most heroic acts that took place during the dark days of the 2009 global financial crisis, a crisis caused by greed and which caused people to lose their faith in humanity. Variety reports that Tom Hanks commended Captain Sullenberger as one of the people who played a pivotal role in restoring humanity’s confidence during those turbulent times.

“People were wondering if everything was about self-interest and greed. They were doubting human nature. Then all these people acted together, selflessly, to get something really important done.”

Other than his iconic roles in Philadelphia and Forrest Gump, Tom Hanks’ heroic role in the upcoming Sully will be one of the most unique roles that he has played in his glorious Hollywood career. And the Sleepless in Seattle star credits Clint Eastwood, the director of Sully, for extracting the most out of his talent.

In fact, the 86-year-old Eastwood has shown that Tom Hanks, a consummate actor in his own right, can deliver an even better performance under his direction, one that has already attracted Oscars buzz. Tom Hanks was reportedly very impressed by the way Clint Eastwood directed the movie, and it was the speed and vigor with which the director worked that Hanks especially appreciated. The Million Dollar Baby actor is known to be very quick and demanding when directing his actors. In fact, the veteran actor and director is known to get the best out of the scene in only one or two takes without being too finicky. According to TV3, an impressed Tom Hanks spoke about his admiration for the Dirty Harry star.

“I know how movies are made, so when I see them and what Clint has done with a minimum amount of fuss, and yet at the same time with every cinematic trick that exists, it’s quite astounding.”

In Tom Hanks’ opinion, Eastwood manages to tell beautiful visual stories through his direction, not due to the momentum with which he directs the movie but due to his ability to appreciate various aspects of the shot by filming the scene from a variety of angles. Additionally, the director included real-life rescuers and other volunteers to feature alongside Tom Hanks, to drive the message that everyone did their duty by working as a team on that eventful day.

At the end of the film production, Tom Hanks had a satisfying experience as a professional while playing the crucial role, as he felt they had covered all important aspects of the story and that no critical element was left out. Ultimately, Tom Hanks hopes that Sully will depict America’s “can do” spirit that reflects its potential to rise from even the most trying times.

[Photo by Steve Cohn/Invision for Warner Bros/AP Images]

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