Tom Hanks Uses the Perfect ‘Dad Voice’ to Describe Teaching His Kids to Drive & All Parents of Teens Can Relate

Rebecca Rakowitz
·2 min read
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After many years of being told to “Run, Forrest, run,” Tom Hanks had to switch gears and teach his children to “drive, kid, drive.”

During an appearance on The Late Show, the actor and spoke with host Seth Meyers about a pivotal scene in Hanks’ newest movie, A Man Called Otto, in which Hanks teaches another character how to drive a stick shift.

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Perhaps wondering if art does indeed imitate life, Meyers asked Hanks if he taught his four adult children how to drive, and if he was patient with them.

“[When] you’ve got youngsters, you put them on your lap, you go to a big vacant lot, you let them steer around, and you control the pedals,” Hanks said calmly.

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But once the tot becomes a teen and sits solo in the driver seat, everything changes.

“You’re riding sitting shotgun, and all you say is ‘What are you doing? What are you doing? What are you doing? What are you doing? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, easy, easy, EASY! EASY! Turn left, LEFT! LEFT! LEFT!” Hanks said in his Big Bad Dad Voice.

So no, patience was not his forte.

The frantic, repetitive monologue is painfully relatable for parents of teens who can’t help but be a backseat driver. This was actually a bit comforting to Meyers, who has three young kids with his wife Alexi Ashe.

“I’m glad to hear you’re like this because I feel like that is the future for me just based on teaching them how to ski,” he said. “The instruction I give is something along the lines of ‘JUST SKI!'”

Even if they haven’t grasped skiing quite yet, Hanks said that by the time Meyers’ kids are ready to drive, teaching them will be extremely simple. With technology advancing at the rapid pace that it does, all they will have to do is sit down and enter their destination.

“Then take a nap,” he said with a shrug. “And they will get there at some point.”

Hanks has two children in their 40s, Colin and Elizabeth Ann, with his first wife Samantha Lewes. He also has two sons with his wife Rita Wilson, Chet, 31, and Truman, 27.

Truman stars alongside Hanks in A Man Called Otto, and fittingly plays his father’s character’s younger self. Hanks told Truman that if he decided to take the part, he would have to fight self consciousness like crazy.

And, he said, there’s only one way to do that:

“Show up, know your stuff, let go, and ski.”

Before you go, check out these hot, famous dads.

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