Tom Hanks on Playing Mr. Rogers
in 'A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood'
When it comes to film acting, there’s none better than Tom Hanks. What’s that joke, that sooner or later Tom Hanks will have played everyone in America? Or as one comment said, “To anybody thinking that Tom Hanks has some big shoes to fill, just wait for the day that they're casting somebody to play Tom Hanks.”
Hanks is one of those actors who view inhabiting a role as a process. “You begin first of all searching your brain for all the images you had prior to it. Every bit of research either confirms or denies that initial impression. I think I watched 7 hours of it before I realized, ‘Oh, this [Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood] is not for me.’”
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood opens Thanksgiving Day 2019. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2019 where it was reported many in the audience wept at the end of the screening. The LA Times crowed, “It’s a beautiful day for Tom Hanks and Mister Rogers fans.”
From the video’s description: Tom Hanks, who plays Mr. Rogers in "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood," revealed how he learned to play the iconic children's show host in the movie. He also said that he practiced singing like Mr. Rogers for several scenes, and that he would sing in that voice when he would argue with his wife.
The Official Trailer for A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.
IMDB: Fred Rogers was the host of the popular long-running public television children's show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. The show debuted in Pittsburgh in 1967 and was picked up by PBS the next year, becoming a staple of public TV stations around the United States. Rogers' mild manner, cardigan sweaters and soft speaking voice made him both widely beloved and widely parodied. Rogers ended production of the show in 2001, but reruns of the show continued to be aired on many PBS stations. He died in 2003 after a short battle with stomach cancer.
