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His character, Otto Anderson, is a 60-year-old
man who plans to end his life following the death of his wife
and forced retirement, but instead befriends his lively
neighbors and begins viewing life through a positive lens.
The comedy-drama is adapted from the 2012 Swedish novel “A Man
Called Ove” by Fredrik Backman that became the 2015
Oscar-nominated film.
"A Man Called Otto", directed by Marc Forster, arrives in select
theaters on Friday.
Hanks, who won Academy Awards for best actor for "Forrest Gump"
and "Philadelphia", told Reuters that zero auditions were
required for his role, as he and his wife Rita Wilson bought the
rights to adapt the novel and film for American audiences.
“Look, I’m selfish. I’m a selfish actor and I’m competitive and
I know a good role when I see one and don’t think anybody else
was considered for the role," said Hanks. "Because I selfishly
said, ‘I know exactly what I want to do here, I know exactly how
to be not just cranky but also always correct’."
When audiences meet Otto, he judges his neighbors for various
reasons ranging from dogs peeing on his front lawn to postal
vans parking in the street.
Enjoying his stubborn character, Hanks said "If there’s anybody
in this movie that is right one hundred percent of the time,
it’s Otto and I like playing the guy who’s always right."
Unleashing his rude side was cathartic for Hanks.
“What is freeing is being able to use the body language that
says the same thing. A good, frustrated sigh is almost as good
as one of those yoga breaths, you know where you’re supposed to
just clear everything out,” the actor said.
(Reporting by Rollo Ross and Danielle Broadway; Editing by Mary
Milliken and David Gregorio)
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