Hollywood nice guy Tom Hanks breaks the mold by playing a curmudgeon in “A Man Called Otto.”
His character, Otto Anderson, is a 60-year-old man who plans to end his life after the death of his wife and his forced retirement, but befriends his bustling neighbors and begins to see life from a different angle. positive.
The comedy-drama is adapted from the 2012 Swedish novel “A Man Called Ove” by Fredrik Backman which became the Oscar-nominated film in 2015.
“A Man Called Otto,” directed by Marc Forster, arrives in select theaters Friday.
Hanks, who won best actor Oscars for ‘Forrest Gump’ and ‘Philadelphia’, told Reuters no audition was needed for his role because he and his wife Rita Wilson bought the adaptation rights novels and films for American audiences.
“Look, I’m selfish. I’m a selfish actor and I’m competitive and I know a good role when I see one and I don’t think anyone else was considered for the role,” Hanks said. “Because I I said selfishly, ‘I know exactly what I want to do here, I know exactly how to not only be grumpy but always correct’.”
When the audience meets Otto, he judges his neighbors for a variety of reasons ranging from dogs peeing on his lawn to parking postal vans on the street.
Appreciating his stubborn nature, Hanks said, “If there’s anyone in this movie who’s one hundred percent right the time, it’s Otto and I love playing the guy who’s always right.”
Unleashing his rude side was cathartic for Hanks.
“What’s liberating is being able to use body language that says the same thing. A good frustrated sigh is almost as good as one of those yoga breaths, you know where you’re supposed to clear everything,” said the actor… Reuters