NO MYSTERY THERE: Tom Hanks FINALLY admits he did 'hooey' Da Vinci Code films for the money
Tom Hanks, the American actor and filmmaker, is widely known for his dramatic, comic and culturally significant roles — be it 'Sleepless in Seattle' or the Oscar-winning 'Forrest Gump'. But the actor has now claimed that while he may be known for his character-driven roles, there is one famous film project he took up purely as a "commercial enterprise".
Tom Hanks was referring to the 2006 film 'The Da Vinci Code' were he played the character of Robert Langdon — an art history professor — in the film adaptation of Dan Brown's widely acclaimed 2003 mystery novel. The film was so popular that two sequels were greenlit with Hank's Robert Langdon character as the central protagonist.
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Tom panned the movie, claiming it had a cynical vibe, in a recent interview with The New York Times. Tom shared his thoughts on the trilogy and said he thinks it is “as cynical as a crossword puzzle” and an outrageous adventure story ripe for the box office. The actor confessed that he signed on to the film only as a ''commercial enterprise".
The film 'The Da Vinci Code' is about a murder in Paris' Louvre Museum and cryptic clues in some of Leonardo da Vinci's most famous paintings. This leads Hanks' character to the discovery of a religious mystery and a 2,000 year-old secret society that closely guards information that — should it come to light — could rock the very foundations of Christianity. The film is based on the book written by Dan Brown. During the interview, Tom talks about the immense respect he holds for Dan Brown. He said, "I mean, Dan Brown, God bless him, says, 'Here is a sculpture in a place in Paris! No, it's way over there. See how a cross is formed on a map?' Well, it's sort of a cross," Tom mused about the author of the novels the film series was based on.
Hanks believes, "There's nothing wrong with good commerce, provided it is good commerce" But he added, "By the time we made the third (film, 'Inferno'), we proved that it wasn't such good commerce." He shared that he does not hold a shred of guilt in playing the role but he just feels the film is not an in-depth experience. To sum it up, he said, "God, that was a commercial enterprise." Hanks reflected. "Yeah, those Robert Langdon sequels are hooey. The Da Vinci Code was hooey."
However the controversy didn't harm its takings — the film made over $200 million at the US box office alone. Hanks received a whopping $18 million paycheck for the first film alone plus the added 'perk' of profit participation. 'Da Vinci Code' was Tom Hanks' biggest box office hit, surpassing his previous record-setter 'Forrest Gump' from Paramount.