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Tom Hanks is known as one of the nicest people in Hollywood, having worked as a leading man for several decades. Aside from some of his critically acclaimed roles, Hanks is known for co-creating the war drama miniseriesBand of Brothers. However, while directing one episode of the series, Hanks rejected one actor for allegedly having dead eyes.
The actor in question Connor Ratliff ended up starting a podcast based on the experience. Ratliff eventually managed to get Hanks as a host on his podcast, where the actor shared his side of the incident leading to the young actor’s firing. Hanks understandably apologized to Ratliff for the incident and here is how the interaction between the two went down.
Tom Hanks rejected Connor Ratliff fromBand of Brothers
Comedian Connor Ratliff had auditioned for the role of an aide to Major Richard “Dick” Winters inthe World War II-era drama miniseriesBand of Brothers. However, according to a report fromTime, Ratliff was rejected shortly before he started filming for the role as episode directorTom Hanksallegedly thought Ratliff had “dead eyes.”
Years later, Ratliff started a podcast, titledDead Eyes, with Hanks appearing as a guest during its 31st episode. During their interaction, Hanks reflected on firing Ratliff at the last moment and expressed regret over his decision. The Oscar-winning actor stated:
Let me first take full responsibility for doing this to you. This was without a doubt the act of the director, and that was me.
Hanks took full responsibility for Ratliff being rejected and apologized to the actor-comedian despite admitting that he did not have a direct recollection of the incident.
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Furthermore, Hanks revealed it was unfortunate that Ratliff received such scathing feedback from the casting department. He added such acting notes are meant to be off-record and it is common industry practice to keep them a secret. As a result, Hanks empathized with Ratliff understanding why the rejection hit him so deeply.
Tom Hanks tried to rationalize firing Connor Ratliff fromBand of Brothers
After making amends with Ratliff on the latter’s podcast, Hanks attempted to rationalize his thoughts while he was looking at the audition tapes for the concerned part. While Hanks admitted that he rejected the actor, he couldn’t think of the reason why.
TheYou’ve Got Mailactor expressed that given the rigors of directing an episode of a show likeBand of Brothers, he barely had any recollection of the overall experience. He stated (viaVulture):
I have no recollection, but I have very few recollections of any day in the course of directing that [episode] because it’s just such utter chaos.
Hanks tried to figure out what possible rationale for his choice but eventually failed to do so during the conversation.
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Ultimately, Hanks could not think of a concrete reason why he rejected Ratliff at the very last moment, especially since it was such a small role. However, upon seeing a mugshot of Ratliff from his audition days, he disagreed with the dead eyes assessment. As a result, Ratliff at least received some closure over the incident as Hanks once again proved why he is known as one of the nicest people in Hollywood.
Band of Brothersis streaming on Max.
Pratik Handore
Content Writer
Articles Published :1772
With a keen interest in comic book movies and blockbuster franchises, Pratik usually covers news and updates on the DCU, MCU, Star Wars, and more.A die-hard fan of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, Pratik spends most of his time exploring different storytelling mediums that invoke a sense of wonder and adventure. Other filmmakers whose works have deeply influenced him include Alfred Hitchcock, James Gunn, and Guillermo del Toro.
