Tom Hanks Rejects Nepotism Backlash Against His Family: My Kids Are in a ‘Family Business’

Tom Hanks dismissed the current nepotism debate when recently talking to The Sun about his family of actors. Hanks is married to actor Rita Wilson, and they have two children: Rapper and actor Chet Hanks and Truman Hanks, who pops up in Tom’s new movie “A Man Called Otto.” Hanks’ son from a previous marriage is Colin Hanks, whose most recent acting roles included “The Offer” and “A Friend of the Family.”

“Look, this is a family business,” Hanks said in the interview. “This is what we’ve been doing forever. It’s what all of our kids grew up in. If we were a plumbing supply business or if we ran the florist shop down the street, the whole family would be putting in time at some point, even if it was just inventory at the end of the year.”

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“The thing that doesn’t change no matter what happens, no matter what your last name is, is whether it works or not,” Hanks continued. “That’s the issue anytime any of us go off and try to tell a fresh story or create something that has a beginning and a middle and an end. Doesn’t matter what our last names are. We have to do the work in order to make that a true and authentic experience for the audience.”

Nepotism and “nepo babies,” a term to describe the offspring of famous parents, have been all the rage as of late due to a New York Magazine cover story that analyzed the current boom of actors with industry parents. Kate Hudson, daughter of Goldie Hawn, has also dismissed the term.

“The nepotism thing, I mean… I don’t really care,” Hudson told The Independent. “I look at my kids and we’re a storytelling family. It’s definitely in our blood. People can call it whatever they want, but it’s not going to change it.”

“I actually think there are other industries where it’s [more common],” Hudson continued. “Maybe modeling? I see it in business way more than I see it in Hollywood. Sometimes I’ve been in business meetings where I’m like, ‘wait, whose child is this? Like, this person knows nothing!’ I don’t care where you come from, or what your relationship to the business is – if you work hard and you kill it, it doesn’t matter.”

Watch Hanks’ full interview with The Sun in the video below. “A Man Called Otto” is now playing in theaters.

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