Tom Hanks picks ‘worst age’ to be – and his answer may surprise you

Tom Hanks has revealed what he believes to be the worst age.

The actor, who previously admitted he finds it tough to uphold his “nice-guy” status on movie sets, turned 68 in July and, ahead of the release of his new film, reflected on the era of his life he found most challenging.

Hanks has reunited with his Forrest Gump director Robert Zemeckis and co-star Robin Wright for Here, a single-location film following one spot of land over the course of a century.

In the film, Hanks and Wright play the middle-aged and elderly versions of their characters and, when asked if he enjoyed playing a certain age in the film, the Saving Private Ryan actor said: “The hardest for us was when we were playing 35.”

He described 35 as being a particularly tough age as it’s “that time when your metabolism stops, gravity starts tearing you down, your bones start wearing off [and] you stand differently”.

Hanks told Entertainment Tonight that he is “in better shape now” than he was when he was 35, explaining this is because his “kids are grown up” and he’s “getting decet exercise and can eat right”.

The actor continued: “You can’t do that when you’re 35. Life is such a burden!”

Intriguingly, Hanks, who made his leading screen debut in 1984’s Splash!, had no films released in 1991, when he was 35, but shot the 1992 release A League of Their Own that year.

Two years later, the actor won his first Oscar for Philadelphia and his second – for Forrest Gump – the following year.

Hanks acknowledged his struggles with playing the middle-aged version of his character in Here, stating: “Look, I’m 68. The much more difficult part that was both physical and spiritual emotionally is when Richard and Margaret are 35 and 42 – when the aging process just begins to kick in and you no longer are able to spring up off a couch. And you’re not yet to a place where life slows down completely.”

Here marks the fifth time Hanks has worked with Zemeckis, having starred in Forrest Gump, Cast Away, The Polar Express and a 2022 version of Pinocchio.

Here is out now in the US and will be released in the UK on 17 January.