| Hi, I�m Tom. Hanks that is. Whenever I�m walking down the street, grocery shopping with Rita, or doing a spot of fly fishing, people are always coming up to me and going: �Hey Tom! What was is like filming Big?� And I�m like, �Buddy, I was only just starting out back then. How about you let me tell yo about Apollo 13.� So today I�m going to do just that. In December�s issue of �The Official Tom Hanks Fanzine� I asked for the readers to send in all of their Apollo 13 questions. Agent DeLunTarsh then picked the cream of the crop. So let�s get on with it: IN THE MOVIE BIG, DO YOU PLAY THE YOUNG JOSH? I�D SWEAR IT WAS YOU, BUT MY WIFE THINKS THAT�S LITTLE JOSH IS PLAYED BY ANOTHER ACTOR (R.White from Hammersley) DeLunTrash, you know how I feel about the �Big� questions. Sigh. No, little Josh was not played by me. I only played the �grown up� Josh. I�d have thought that was blatantly obvious. WHERE WERE YOU WHEN YOU WERE OFFERED THE ROLE IN APOLLO 13? (Mrs. K Verbatim, Toronto) Well, one day Bob, the producer calls me place. My son answers the phone. He�s like �Dad, it�s the phone for you.� And I�m like �Who is it?� and my son�s like �It�s Bob from Universal� and I�m like �Who?� so I pick up on the other line and I�m like �Hello?� And Bob goes: �It�s Bob Weinstein from Universal, wanna make a space movie?� and I�m like, �Sure, but on one condition.� And Bob�s like, �What?� and I go �I�m a method actor, I have to go to space first.� And he�s like �Sure thing Tom.� So I did. And that�s how it all began. WHY WAS APOLLO 13 FILMED IN NEW MEXICO? (Clarissa Burton, Vietnam) People come up to me all the time and they�re like �Tom, why did you film Apollo 13 in New Mexico?� and I tell them why, just as I�m going to tell you. In order to film the launch scenes, you know, where you see Apollo 13 actully taking off, we had to build a full scale, fully working launch site. So we did. It�s still there, and the ship we sent up is still in orbit. Amazing isn�t it?! So why New Mexico? Let�s just say that they�re a bit backwards in coming forwards when it comes to land use restrictions and by-laws. HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TO FILM APOLLO 13? (Sean Thwaite, Kings Cross) Twelve weeks. No wait, it was thirteen. No, it was twelve. Sorry. HOW DID YOU AND THE OTHER GUYS MANGE TO DEFY GRAVITY IN THE SPACE SCENES? (A. Howard, Tuscany) People often come up to me and they�re like �Tom, how did you and the other guys float about as if there were no gravity?� And I�m like �We actually went to Space.� And they�re like, �Really� and I�m like �No stupid, we used trampolines.� The floor of the ship was replaced with trampolines. Myself, Kevin and Bill would then just jump up and down all day. At our peak we could reach 6 seconds of air time before being pulled back down. And if you watch very carefully you�ll see that in those scenes there is never a shot longer than 6 seconds. It�s true. DID YOU DO ALL OF YOUR OWN STUNTS? (Marline Braithwaite, Hamilton) Yes, everything you see is me, except for the shots where I�m covering up the moon/earth with my thumb. Since a BMX accident when I was five, I�ve been left dissatisfied with the appearance of my right thumb and now always use a thumb double. TOM, HOW DID YOU FEEL SAYING THE LINE: �HOUSTEN WE HAVE A PROBLEM.� (Ms. Caygill. Christchirch) Boy, what a great question! Ms.Caygill, you�ll be getting an autograph in the mail! The line in question, as we all know, is a very famous one, and one that takes a great deal of maturity to be able to say. Not just any old B-Grade, TV movie actor can swan in and say it, if you get what I mean. First Universal had to gain the rights for us to use the line in the movie, as it had been copyrighted in the 1971 Quotations act. One we had gained permission to use it, I underwent four weeks of speech therapy to get the rhythm and tone of my voice just right. We used a lot of new technology, which enabled us to compare the original delivery from my own. After many late nights and a great deal of patience on the part of Kimberly Banks, my speech coach, we got there in the end. I think you�d agree that the extra effort was well worth it when you hear the finished result. IN SPACE, NOONE CAN HEAR YOU SCREAM. WHAT ELSE WOULD BE A CONSIDERED A POINTLESS ACTIVITY WHILST IN SPACE? (M. Kimmer St. Louis) I wouldn�t really call screaming an activity, more an expression of ones emotions. WHY DIDN�T KEVIN BACON GET ANY OF THE GOOD LINES? (Mr. Kimble, Edinburgh) He did, they were jut edited out in the cutting room. Kevin outtakes can be seen on the special edition DVD, due for release this fall. THERE WAS ONCE TALK OF �APOLLO 13; THE MUSICAL�. IS THERE SUCH A THING? (Amy-Lou Klein, Tennessee) Yes. I came up with the idea of turning the movie into a musical after seeing �Miss Saigon�. I co-wrote the script along with 6 of the 13 songs with my good friend Andy Barkstead. Sadly, two weeks into rehearsals Andy was struck by a bad case of Appendicitis and lost his left leg. The thing was that Andy was also choreographing the show. I didn�t think it right to continue on without him. Maybe one day though. DO YO EVER GET SICK OF ALWAYS HAVING TO WORK WITH MEG RYAN (Samson Brite, Moscow) Meg Ryan wasn�t in Apollo 13. DOES THAT HUGE TOYSHOP REALLY EXIST? (M.Tomkimson, Timaru) Sigh. Yes it does, it�s in New York And that�s where this question and answer session shall end. I specifically requested that this be an Apollo 13 article. DeLunTrash, I�m speechless. I am so disappointed in you. I trusted you to make acute, grown up decisions as to what an appropriate question is. I�m going to sit in my office now, I don�t wish to be disturbed. I hope you�re satisfied DeLunTrash, I hope you�re satisfied. <The door slams shut and slow, sombre footsteps can be heard upon the cold cold tiled corridor that could only ever exist in St.Albans. They get quieter and quieter until they are no more. And if you listen very carefully you can hear the childlike sobs of a man who though fame and money is no object, has realised that true happiness cannot be bought. And in the background Queen�s �The Show Must Go On� swells to a wonderfully melodramatic climax. Sigh. > That was Tom. Hanks that is, signing off for now. And please, don�t worry, he�ll be okay. Trust me. |
| HANKS' CORNER -this week Tom tackles Apollo 13 |
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