Why Did Tom Hanks Write a Novel?

The title of Tom Hanks’s first novel, The Making of Another Motion Picture Masterpiece, certainly sounds sarcastic: The proximity of the words “another” and “masterpiece” suggests a pithy, dishy critique of the industry that he conquered. But Hanks, who’s written short stories and screenplays en route to his long-form literary debut, is sincere—occasionally to a fault, as it turns out. Early on in the book, an entertainment journalist is queried by a filmmaker about the kinds of movies that he might “hate-walk out of”—a setup, we hope, that will reveal the author’s own veiled prejudices. “I don’t hate any films,” comes the reply. “Movies are too hard to make to warrant hatred. If a movie is not great, I just wait it out in my seat. It will be over soon enough. Walking out of a movie is a sin.” Now it’s been said that to love cinema is to love all of cinema, but there are limits: Obviously, the character in question has never seen The Flash.