Why Tom Hanks Doesn't Watch Most Of His Movies

For a profession that thrives on fame, the number of actors who have admitted to never seeing their work again is plentiful. Tom Hanks is just one of many recognizable names that have said as much, along with the likes of Javier Bardem, Maggie Smith and Reese Witherspoon. Mind you, it's not entirely surprising that this tends to be a common thread either.

Based on Hanks' comments, what bothers him the most is not being able to go back and make changes. For actors, the performance often becomes immortalized as it is. Making art, whether you are the face of it or not, is an empowering endeavor that portrays your work as it was constructed at that time.

It's a familiar feeling that I often encounter as a writer. You work on something, only to send it out into the world soon after where anxiety sets in. Even though it's a piece that I'm very proud of, there will always be one aspect that I feel I could have phrased differently. I always want to improve on what came before, which can make revising some of my earlier stuff quite painful, especially if I've made that progress over time. The only difference is that millions and millions of people know about Hanks' work, which I imagine adds even more pressure to get it right. There's beauty in letting your art speak for itself, though, because without those missteps, it can be hard to know what grades you want to hit next time.

"A Man Called Otto" is now airing in limited release, with a large theatrical expansion on January 13, 2023.