Tom Hanks Reveals His Warning To Actors About Working With Steven Spielberg

Tom Hanks reveals his warning to actors working with Steven Spielberg. Two of the most respected actors and directors alive, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg have worked together on five feature films, starting with Saving Private Ryan, a powerful World War II movie, and reuniting for Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal, Bridge of Spies, and The Post. Outside these movies, the two have also executive produced the World War II miniseries – HBO’s Band of Brothers and The Pacific, and Apple TV’s Masters of the Air.

During a recent appearance on the Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend podcast (via Team Coco), Hanks revealed his warning to actors working with Spielberg. Hanks detailed Spielberg’s style, including how he is sometimes meticulously prepared and knows exactly what he wants to do, but other times, such as when they were filming on the Glienicke Bridge for Bridge of Spies, he had no idea what he wanted to do and looked for input from his actors. Watch the portion of the video or read Hanks’ full comments below:

The last couple of gigs that I’ve had, I said, when everybody is in town, we did this on Bridge of Spies and also, mostly just on Bridge of Spies, I said look, we’ll get together with all the guys, oh we did The Post together, did the same thing with The Post, get everybody together and we’ll read through some of the scenes and I’ll just explain, said “Listen, everybody, there are some days that we will come to work and we will have all of this stuff memorized and we’ll be hot, we will have read through it, we’ll be prepared and we will get to the stage and Stephen will have done all that work for us. We don’t have to do anything except inhabit the space because Stephen is telling the story from the cinematic perspective, where the camera is and what he’s doing, it’s not even going to matter. But then there’ll be other times, my friends, when we will show up and we’ll know it all and we need to know it because we have to get there. When we shot the stuff on the Glienicke Bridge on Bridge of Spies, which was the real place where the spies were exchanged, crazy. We were freezing to death, it was very very cold, and Stephen came up to say, “Hey, I hope you guys know all your lines because I haven’t the slightest idea how we’re going to shoot this,” and I and I just turned to all the guys and said, “What did I tell you.” Then he’s the most malleable guy. “Well what if we stand here Stephen, what if we come out here, what if he comes out.” “Great, great, great, great, oh. That’s a great idea because then that…” and then he’s very excited about all that kind of…

What Tom Hanks’ Warning Means For Actors Working With Steven Spielberg

The Director’s Approach May Vary

Tom Hanks’ comments detail the dynamic experience that actors have when working with Steven Spielberg, who alternates between being meticulously prepared and completely open to input. For scenes when he has a clear vision, Spielberg guides his actors decisively, using his directorial expertise to dictate every detail from camera angles to pacing. Jaws is one of the best examples of this, as Spielberg planned several key shots, such as the famous dolly zoom, with meticulous precision. In these moments, actors simply follow Spielberg’s direction to achieve the desired cinematic impact.

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However, on Jaws, the movie’s mechanical sharks famously malfunctioned, forcing Spielberg to abandon his original vision and instead, suggest the shark’s presence using various cinematic techniques, including John Williams’ ominous score. When necessary, Spielberg embraces spontaneity and encourages his collaborators to contribute to the scene’s development. This adaptable approach allows actors to shape scenes and influence the storytelling, as seen in Saving Private Ryan, where the actors’ improvisations during the intense and chaotic battle scenes added an aura of authenticity. Hanks’ anecdote underscores Spielberg’s ability to be both prepared and flexible, adapting to the needs of each moment.

Our Take On Tom Hanks’ Warning For Actors Working With Steven Spielberg

He Knows The Director Better Than Anyone

Tom Hanks has worked with Steven Spielberg five times and is uniquely positioned to understand the director’s balance of meticulous preparation and spontaneous creativity. His comments not only reveal insight into Spielberg’s style, but also showcase his own keen awareness and understanding of the director’s tendencies, fully attuned to the nuances of his vision. In turn, it’s no surprise that Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg‘s partnership has produced such well-made and memorable movies over the years.

Source: Team Coco