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'Then return your Oscar': Tom Hanks trolled for saying straight people should not play gay roles

'It is called an acting job Hank. Straight, Gay, whatever you identify as, you can do the acting job,' said a user

Jonathan Demme’s 'Philadelphia', a 1993 drama movie, helped Tom Hanks bag his first Oscar for best actor as he played a gay man who gets fired over his HIV status. Fast forward to 2022, almost 28 years after the critically acclaimed movie won and rocked the theaters, Hanks claims that in today's day and age, he or any of his co-stars would not be able to play this role. The actor shared his thoughts and will next be seen in Baz Luhrmann’s 'Elvis' as Colonel Tom Parker, Presley's twisted manager. 

The Academy Award winner, turning 66 in almost a month, opened his heart out to The New York Times Magazine and said, "Could a straight man do what I did in Philadelphia now? No, and rightly so. The whole point of Philadelphia was, ‘Don’t be afraid.’ One of the reasons people weren’t afraid of that movie is that I was playing a gay man. We’re beyond that now, and I don’t think people would accept the inauthenticity of a straight guy playing a gay guy." The actor who also won a Golden Globe for his performance in the movie said, "It’s not a crime, it’s not boohoo, that someone would say we are going to demand more of a movie in the modern realm of authenticity. Do I sound like I’m preaching? I don’t mean to.”

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Recently, Tom Hanks sparked some concern amongst fans when he was in Australia for a special screening of 'Elvis'. While addressing the live audience, he could not seem to control his hand from shaking uncontrollably raising concerns. Some people on the Internet claimed that he is re-enacting his role in the movie 'Saving Private Ryan' where he plays the role of a Second World War soldier with PTSD whose hands shake a lot due to the shock and trauma. The actor, who has won almost 50 awards, will next be seen in Elvis. 

Tom Hanks in 'Elvis'

Hanks will be playing Colonel Tom Parker in Baz Luhrmann’s 'Elvis' alongside Austin Butler (Elvis), Olivia DeJonge (Priscilla Presley), Natasha Bassett (Dixie Locke), and more. The movie is largely based around Tom Parker and Elvis as it covers the rise of the 'King of Rock and Roll' and how the relationship with his manager gets more and more complicated. As of now, the actor has got some of the most divisive reviews for this film. So far, he has been heavily criticized for the heavy accent that he came up with Parker, who hails from the Netherlands.

Tom Hanks has been in almost 89 films and 'Elvis', ready to drop on June 24, 2022, has got some confusing reviews. But one critic was too moved, well, not in the best of manner. IndieWire writer David Ehrlich called the movie an "utterly deranged musical biopic about the King of Rock & Roll," and "a sadistically monotonous super-montage in which a weird Flemish guy manipulates some naïve young greaser over and over and over again until they both get sad and die." However, the Internet wasn't keen on agreeing with Hanks. One user said, "Then return your Oscar." Another user said, "The actor has done some great roles, but this is absolute nonsense. It's literally in the job description- ACT. You take on a role depicting a character. You may as well suggest we have no more superhero films because there is no such thing.

One angry user tweeted, "It is called an acting job Hank. Straight, Gay, whatever you identify as, you can do the acting job. You give 100% to your role we'll enjoy the show. Your private life has nothing to do with your job. Your reasoning is not sound, it's separatist." Another user said, "I am a black queer man and I have no issue with a straight ACTOR playing a gay character. That is not inauthentic. It’s ACTING. It’s PRETEND. It’s NOT REAL. It’s okay."

One user said, "So by this logic, straight people can't play any character in the LGBT community, and no group in the LGBT community can play a character from any other group in the community. GTFOH . Hanks killed in Philadelphia. And NPH played one of the funniest ladies man on tv. Sooooo." Another user said, "Hard disagree with him on this issue. Acting is being someone else. No one could have done what he did."