Tom Hanks got the surprise of a lifetime at a New York screening of his new film A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.
The legendary actor was told by Access Hollywood on the red carpet that he’s related to Fred Rogers, the beloved children’s show host he portrays in the biopic. Ancestry.com came up with a family tree for Hanks and Rogers, finding a common ancestor named Johannes Meffert, making the pair sixth cousins.
“No, impossible! You’re pulling our leg,” said Hanks’ wife, Rita Wilson, upon hearing the news.
“It all just comes together, you see,” Hanks added.
“It’s no surprise they are related as the similarities between the two are uncanny,” Jennifer Utley, Ancestry.com’s director of research, said in a statement. “Even if we don’t know it, our pasts impact our present.”
A Beautiful Day in The Neighborhood was inspired by the 1998 Esquire article “Can You Say… Hero?” by Tom Junod. In the film, Junod’s name has been changed to Lloyd Vogel, who is portrayed by Matthew Rhys. Directed by Marielle Heller, the film opens Nov. 22.
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