Starring in the movies of Dan Brown's hit novels – The Da Vinci Code and now Angels & Demons – has plunged Tom Hanks into one long round of controversy, but not in the way he thought.
The Hollywood star claims to be unaffected by fierce attacks from the Catholic Church and others over the films. Poking fun at his hairdo is another matter, however.
“I can't believe all the fuss about my hair,'' said Hanks, as he tried defusing the religious furore sparked by Brown's books and now the impending release of the sequel to The Da Vinci Code.
The hair factor
Bringing Robert Langdon from the page to the screen required Hanks to wear his hair longer than he normally would. “That hair was down to Manny Millar. He's a stylist who tells stories through hair,'' said Hanks.
“No lie. His whole thing is about how characters are brought to life by hair.'' There's no doubt that Hanks has staked his reputation as a safe Hollywood star by taking on the role of Robert Langdon, the university professor of symbology.
However, the Catholic Church and other Catholic sects have been waging a campaign against Brown's books and their themes ever since they first hit stores. Filming Angels and Demons has also been scrutinised by Catholics and religious groups.
The cast and the crew have been banned from filming in sensitive locations – even though they are among the book's settings. “I think these movies may end up helping churches do their jobs,'' said Hanks. “A lot of the real anger is shot on the books, not the movies. The books garner so much of that stuff.''
Hanks is by no means a defender of Brown's beliefs or themes. His reasons for taking the role were down to the character rather than the books.
“I knew nothing about the novels until my agent suggested looking at them. I wasn't even sure the books took place in the modern era. But 40 pages into the first one I said, ‘Okay. I get it. I would be very interested in doing this'.''
Having bridged the gap from comedy to hard drama for the last 20 years, the Oscar winner feels he is best qualified to bring such a controversial tale to the public at large. “I have an advantage.
The audience thinks I'm a safe choice,'' said Hanks. “The public sees me as a nice guy who can fit into a lot of different roles without saying he's too handsome for that or he's too serious.
So, I can morph into different characters without seeming out of place.'' Hanks insists that it was he who chose Brown's adventures rather than the other way around.
“I'm always looking for films that have a spiritual subtext and tell stories that make people think about life. I find those kinds of stories incredibly compelling and whenever I have a chance to make movies like that I'm going to take a shot.''
DID YOU KNOW?
Hanks is honest enough to admit that much of Robert Langdon's character remained a mystery to him even after having read the books.
His own code to crack involved getting to grips with a role and a hero from a very different background than most.
Said hanks: “I just started Angels and Demons the same way as the last one – by asking questions. He's a Harvard professor of symbology – what does that mean?''
