The name Tom Hanks means something.
With over three decades on our screens, small and large, he's more than an actor: he's a draw, a guarantee, a promise of some sort of emotional experience. When Tom Hanks says 'come see my movie,' well, audiences do just that. And, as it turns out, even in a jaded Hollywood, with its backstage machinations and egos galore, Hanks has the exact same magnetic pull on his fellow actors, no matter how big their stature.
Taraji P. Henson, a veritable star with an Oscar nomination under her belt, felt the pull immediately upon learning that Hanks wanted her for his new passion project, "Larry Crowne." It's the story of a blue collar big box retail employee who gets fired and heads back to junior college, but before she even knew that much, Henson had excitedly accepted the role.
"Apparently, Tom wanted me involved. So he called my manager and my manager called me and said, Tom Hanks really wants you to be in his movie and I said, sure," Henson told The Huffington Post in a conversation Tuesday. "And my manager was like, maybe you should read the script first, and I was like, 'No, I don't have to read the script, it's Tom Hanks, that's a no brainer. I don't care, I could play a tree or a rock, it's Tom Hanks.'"
As it turns out, the "Benjamin Button" star didn't have to play scenery to get into the film; she tackles the role of Hanks' next door neighbor, B'Ella, a working class woman who hits it rich when she and her husband, played by Cedric the Entertainer, win the lottery. Hanks' character, the titular Crowne, isn't so lucky as he struggles to stay afloat amidst house payments, schooling and a job as a short order cook. And while he's a multiple Oscar winner who has played war heroes and detectives, among many other glamorous roles, Henson says his magic lies in his ability to be the everyman.
"He's one of those actors who can just take on any role," she said. "What I think is so great about him is, because he's still a very down to earth, big, big superstar, it makes it easier for him to play these common characters, like regular people, and believe it, and not be Tom Hanks. Some people get too big and you can't separate the star from the character."
As Crowne begins cleansing himself of old, lonely habits, Henson and Cedric are cleansing their lives of all the clutter that accumulated as they held on for dear financial life. Throughout the film, they're found hosting a massive garage sale -- and interestingly, though it was Hanks' invitation that led her to agree to the film, it was the garage sale aspect that sold her on the character she was playing.
