Tom Hanks reflects on decades-long focus on World War II projects in Hollywood
The actor’s WWII work spans films, series, and documentaries over nearly three decades
Actor and filmmaker Tom Hanks has opened up about his long-running creative and personal connection to World War II stories, saying he has been “wrestling” with why he continues to return to the subject throughout his career.
Hanks first became closely associated with the historical conflict in 1998 when he starred in Steven Spielberg’s acclaimed war drama Saving Private Ryan, a role that marked the beginning of a decades-long engagement with World War II storytelling.
Since then, he has helped shape several major projects set during the war, including producing the miniseries Band of Brothers, The Pacific and Masters of the Air, as well as starring in the naval thriller Greyhound.
He is also set to narrate the upcoming History Channel documentary World War II with Tom Hanks.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Hanks reflected on why he continues to revisit the era, saying he often finds himself questioning the emotional pull it holds for him.
“I’ve been wrestling with this just recently. I’ve been asking myself at nighttime, in those moments of the soul, why do I keep turning to it again and again for that combination of poetry and solace and enlightenment?” he said.
The Oscar-winning actor suggested his fascination may stem from the way historical events mirror present-day challenges, particularly the moral decisions individuals are forced to confront during times of conflict.
He pointed to the broader human choices behind wartime decisions, noting that such dilemmas are not limited to the past.
“There were two forces out there that said we are racially superior to anybody else, or we are theologically superior to everybody else, because of what is inside our blood. Is that in existence anywhere today? Well, yeah,” Hanks said.
“So in that regard, it always comes down to some kind of personal choice that we’re going to have to make no matter what the war is.”
Hanks added that while the stakes of World War II were “blatant and obvious,” the underlying theme of personal responsibility remains universal across eras and conflicts.
Beyond his acting and producing work, Hanks is also an executive producer on the upcoming 20-episode series World War II with Tom Hanks, which will explore major events of the global conflict in collaboration with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham.