Tom Hanks Owns up to On-Set Misbehavior

Tom Hanks stepped into the novel game for the first time with The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece, which hit bookstores earlier this week. The book tracts the inspiration, writing, and casting that leads to a major blockbuster. One character is an eccentric director and another is a disruptive, self-obsessed actor. Surprisingly, many of these moments are inspired by real experiences Hanks had onset, disproving the notion that Hanks is a nice guy 24/7.

"I have pulled every single one of those moments of behavior myself on a set," the two-time Oscar-winner told BBC News this week. "Not everybody is at their best every single day on a motion picture set. I've had tough days trying to be a professional when my life has been falling apart in more ways than one and the requirement for me that day is to be funny, charming, and loving – and it's the last way I feel."

While life on a movie set may not be as picture-perfect as fans hope, Hanks noted that cast and crew still have to be serious about getting things done on time. In that sense, it's just like any other job. "What cannot occur on a motion picture is that someone cannot monkey around with the timing or the length of the shoot or the budget," the Elvis star said. "That is a cardinal sin in the motion picture business."

Unfortunately, an amazing number of people get away with futzing around. "You will be amazed at how many people know that they can get away with it, and are told they can get away with it because they are carrying the movie on their shoulders," Hanks told BBC News.

The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece includes references to actors who are "cry-babies, psychological train wrecks, on-the-wagon alcoholics, off-the-wagon addicts." There are also "more than a couple of feuds" between actors onset, and Hanks mentions allegations of sexual harassment against his fictional characters. Hanks only laughed when asked if these characters were inspired by real people.

Elsewhere in his interview, Hanks brushed off the early criticism his novel has faced. Critics haven't been big fans of the novel. The New York Times book reviewer Alexandra Jacobs wrote that the book "sags under a deluge of detail." Hanks said his time as a movie star means he can "handle" any criticism thrown his way, adding that the book will "live and die based on its own ability to entertain and enlighten an audience."