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Tom Hanks is among the A-listers in the Hollywood industry who rose to prominence in the 1980s. Having been known for projects likeThe Money Pit,The Pacific,andRobert Langdonamong several others, he is already a renowned cultural icon in America. Back in 1995, he decided to kick off his filmmaking career by writing and directing his own project.
Also Read:“I never felt sour grapes”: Julia Roberts Does Not Regret Saying No to Tom Hanks’ $227 Million Movie That Almost Got an Oscar
He made his dream a reality by creating a 1996 film,That Thing You Do!which revolved around the story of the rise and fall of a fictional 1960s pop band, The Wonders. It starred an ensemble cast including Charlize Theron. While that project was a second in her acting career, she had eyes on the leading role but Hanks denied the idea.
Tom Hanks Refused to Cast Charlize Theron in The Leading Role in That Thing You Do!
Also Read:“I loved making that movie”: Tom Hanks, Who Refused Shawshank Redemption, Was Heartbroken With $34M Directorial Debut That Later Became a Cult Classic
Charlize Theron is now one of the leading actresses in the Hollywood industry who can go for any role she desires given her celebrity status. However, it was different when she approachedTom Hanksfor a particular role in his directorial debut,That Thing You Do!
The then-rising star portrayed the role of Tina Powers in the 1996 film but she had eyes on Faye Dolan’s role. According to thePhiladelphiaactor, theAtomic Blondestar was just 19 at the time when she read on the very first day of the audition.
He shared,
“She said, ‘Listen, I know I can play Tina, but I want to play Faye.’ I said, ‘I get that,’ but what I was thinking in my head was, ‘You’re too much of a supernova to play Faye.’ Casting her was such a coup.”
She was a rising star when the film was in development and gained critical acclaim when she starred inThe Devil’s Advocatereleased just a year later. The then-new director was looking for some less-known personality for Faye’s role which eventually went to Liv Tyler.
Not Everything Was Good With Charlize Theron When She Auditioned for Tom Hanks’ Film
Also Read:Emily Blunt Was Embarrassed About ‘Crawling Naked Over’ Tom Hanks in $119M Film Because He Could Pass as Her Father: “Maybe it was weird for him too”
During an appearance onThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert, she shared her experience auditioning for her second film project.
Stating about how her audition went at the time, she shared,“It was not good!”
She was puzzled as to how she ended up getting the role.
“I don’t know why he gave me the role, I mean, honestly.”
It was because she got starstruck after meeting her idol, Tom Hanks who was later on, co-starring with her in the film.
“I was so nervous. Imagine you’re 19 and you meet this idol. I idolized him! I watched Turner and Hooch like 500 times. So to audition for somebody like that, it’s frightening.”
While she opened up about doing silly mistakes while auditioning for her Hanks regarding the 1996 project, it all went well. Even film co-producer, Ed Saxon shared that the actor had nothing but a good impression of her.
That Thing You Do!is available on Amazon Prime Video.
Source:The Ringer
Priya Sharma
Articles Published :1321
Priya Sharma, Senior Content Writer and Social Media Manager at FandomWire and Animated Times. Having graduated in Journalism and Mass Communication, she possesses extensive expertise in crafting engaging and informative content. She has written over 2000 articles across Animated Times and FandomWire on pop culture, showing her dedication to delivering diverse and trending content to readers across the world. Apart from pop culture, she is quite enthusiastic about the Hallyu culture and is exploring the world of anime, expanding the horizons of her knowledge.
