In the 1993 film for which he won his first Academy Award, the award-winning actor portrayed a gay man suffering from HIV.
Tom Hanks states that he could not portray the role of a gay guy in 1993’s Philadelphia, and rightly so.
In the film, the Hollywood celebrity portrayed attorney Andrew Beckett, who was fired after his employers discovered his homosexuality.
In an interview with The New York Times Magazine, the seasoned actor posed the question, “Could a straight man achieve what I did in Philadelphia?” No, and justifiably so.”
Hanks stated, “I don’t believe people would accept the inauthenticity of a heterosexual actor portraying a gay character.
“It’s not a crime or a hysteria for someone to assert that we will want more of a film in the present domain of reality. Do I sound like I’m giving a sermon? I did not intend to.”
When he accepted the Academy Award for the picture, he acknowledged that too many homosexual men had perished due to HIV and AIDS.
He stated, “I am aware that my task, in this case, is exacerbated by the overpopulation of angels on the streets of heaven.
“We recognize their names. They are one thousand for each red ribbon that we are wearing tonight. They finally rest in the loving embrace of the kind one who created us all.
“A healing hug that cools their fevers, clears their skin, and opens their eyes to the simple, self-evident, common-sense truth that was written down by wise men, tolerant men, in the city of Philadelphia two centuries ago.”
It was one of the first prominent Hollywood films to explore HIV/AIDS and homophobia.
