Tom Hanks has said the increasing level of cynicism in society is partly what led him to take a role as a loveable children’s entertainer.
The actor plays Fred Rogers in his new movie – a legendary US kids TV host whose brand was wholesome and warm.
“Cynicism has become the default position for so much of daily structure and daily intercourse,” Hanks told reporters.
“Why? Because it’s easy, and there’s good money to be made.”
He added: “Cynicism is a great product to sell, and it’s the perfect beginning of any examination of anything. And part of that is conspiracy theories and what have you.
“But I think when Fred Rogers first saw children’s programming, he saw something that was cynical, and why would you put something that is cynical in front of a two or three-year-old kid? That you are not cool because you don’t have this toy? That it’s funny to see someone being bopped
on the head?
“That’s a cynical treatment of the audience, and we have become so inured to that, that when we are met with as simple a message as ‘Hey you know what, it’s a beautiful day in the neighbourhood!’ we get slapped a little bit. We are allowed, I think, to feel good. There’s a place for cynicism,
but why begin with it right off the bat?”
A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood serves as the title of the Rogers film, which is directed by Marielle Heller – well known for the Oscar-nominated Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Heller has explained that, because Mr Rogers (as he was known) had such little conflict in his life, he was not an obvious protagonist for a movie, and his career alone wouldn’t have served as a strong enough storyline.
Instead, A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood follows the relationship between Mr Rogers and a journalist for Esquire magazine, who wrote a profile of the entertainer in 1998.
The journalist who wrote the original piece, Tom Junod, possessed by trade just the kind of cynical personality Hanks refers to. But when he met Mr Rogers, he found a more complex character than he was expecting.
Over a series of sittings, he and Mr Rogers developed a friendship. The entertainer won Junod over with his seemingly unrelenting kindness and empathy, helping him examine his own issues and find a deeper appreciation for life.
lt is, frankly, an outstanding film – one of the best seen so far at the Toronto Film Festival and undoubtedly an awards season contender.
“Marielle Heller excels at pulling heartstrings from sturdy foundations, injecting smart and insightful details into material that could easily default to sentimentality,” wrote Eric Kohn in IndieWire.
