Tom Hanks Explains How Coping with His Parents' Divorce as a Child 'Fueled' Him to Become an Actor

Mar. 15, 2025

Tom Hanks in Los Angeles on Feb. 4, 2023.Photo:Lester Cohen/Getty

Lester Cohen/Getty

Tom Hanksfound solace in isolation after his parents' divorce — but it wasn’t always easy.

In a newly released, wide-ranging interview for iHeartPodcasts’On Purpose with Jay Shetty, the 68-year-oldHereactor reflected on spending a lot of time alone and on the road after his mom and dad split when he was very young.

“The natural preponderance I had to sit there quietly and imagine what was going on. That fueled me into realizing that there’s actually … a pursuit that is, ‘Let’sput on a show. Let’s tell the story.’ That came along, and bang that that was it,” he explained of how the experience inspired him to become a storyteller. “And I’m telling you, it’s the same exact now as it was then.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

Tom Hanks and mom Janet Hanks in New York City on Oct. 10, 1999.Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty

Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty

The third-born child, Hanks said he “had to get used to” being isolated and disconnected at times.

“Because I was so young when my parents split up and there were so many other factors that had to go into [it] — it was logistics and legal things and time and distance and stuff like that — I took care of myself and, you know, was satisfied, I think it was a reprieve for them,” he said of his parents.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

“But I was not the oldest — I did not have somebody that was establishing the rules and the structure of the family,” Hanks said.

“The healthy aspect of it has been a great aid to me, as well as thetendency to want to be isolated, to not need anybody, to not want anybody, because that’s just what I learned,” Hanks said. “Life is easier if you don’t need anybody, and it can be a lot easier if you want nothing more than what’s in the back of the car.”

“But that can be a solitary life, and a lot of times, being solitary can be confused with being lonely, and being lonely can lead to anger and resentments and stuff that you gotta work through,” he added. “And okay, at 68, a lot of those years have been dealt with dealing with the latter and enjoying the former at the same time.”

source: people.com