‘The Americas’ Narrator Tom Hanks Would Trade ‘Dad’ Nickname for ‘The Best Park Ranger They’ve Ever Heard’

Two-time Oscar-winner Tom Hanks was officially bestowed nan moniker “America’s Dad” by “The Americas” executive shaper Mike Gunton, according to a Variety interview pinch nan pair. It’s a title that nan movie prima takes to naturally, and his activity successful nan 21st period has often required him to play roles that person a paternal feel, from playing Walt Disney successful “Saving Mr. Banks” to nan heroic skipper successful “Sully.” Not to mention that his turns hosting “Saturday Night Live” person talented nan world the top of dada jokes.

In “The Americas,” which aired successful 11-parts earlier this year, Hanks lent his sound to narrating nan wildlife tales of 2 continents, adding a decidedly fatherlike gravitas to nan series. While nan “Forrest Gump” character feels nan “America’s Dad” title “might opportunity much astir nan induced trauma of family of root issues for astir of America,” he does deterioration it pinch pride.

“Look, I person enthusiasms that are peculiar to me,” Hanks told Variety. “I person a willingness to predominate each meal array that I beryllium at. It’s 1 of [my] characteristic defects that I’m moving on. But I’m going to dainty that earnestly erstwhile personification comes successful and says, ‘We look upon you arsenic a dad.’ Because nan champion dads are going to connection up wisdom, patience, and conscionable nan correct magnitude of subject erstwhile nan clip comes.”

That said, Hanks said location was a different title he’d alternatively have, 1 that he would apt bestow connected a authorities park’s parkland ranger whom he erstwhile watched speak for 50 minutes astatine a campfire event. “I would emotion to beryllium called thing specific: The champion parkland ranger they’ve ever heard,” he said.

No matter really awesome his filmography mightiness beryllium (we haven’t moreover mentioned “Philadelphia,” “Big,” “Cast Away,” “The Green Mile”), Hanks is modest erstwhile talking his output.

“I’ve made a ton of movies (and 4 of them are beautiful good, I think) and I’m still amazed astatine really films travel together,” he told People successful 2022. “From a flicker of an thought to nan flickering image onscreen, nan full process is simply a miracle.”