In «Elvis», Tom Hanks embodies the musician’s manager, who cheated him and many other people out of a lot of money. But Tom Parker wasn’t just a “scoundrel,” Hanks says.
US actor Tom Hanks (65) says he has no interest in portraying a simple villain.
“I’m not interested in playing a villain like, ‘Before I kill you, Mr Bond, would you like a tour of my facility?'” he said at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday. In the biopic «Elvis» by Baz Luhrmann (theatrical release June 23), Hanks plays the manager of the legendary singer. Hanks portrays Tom Parker, who worked with Elvis Presley for a good 20 years, as a greedy man who has excessively enriched himself on Presley’s financial gain.
Still, he wasn’t just a villain, Hanks said on Thursday. “He was a man who saw an opportunity to turn a unique talent into a cultural force.” The variety of ways Parker has scammed people out of money is extraordinary. “By the way, I’ve incorporated a few of these ways into my own daily routine,” Hanks joked. “You learn a little bit from every role.”
“Elvis” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday evening and received the longest standing ovation of over ten minutes. Among the many celebrity guests at the premiere was Elvis’ former wife, Priscilla Presley.
