You can’t deny Tom Hanks’ reputation for being “the nicest guy in Hollywood.” From giving a refund to a couple that didn’t like his Larry Crowne movie to starring in Carly Rae Jepsen’s music video in the freezing cold weather, these are just a couple of examples of what a sweet guy Hanks is. However, his son, Colin, got candid about who he thinks is the real nicest guy in Hollywood, and I see where he’s coming from.
Based on Tom Hanks’ admirable behavior and hardly ever playing bad guys in movies, you can easily say that the Academy Award winner is “the nicest guy in Hollywood.” On the other hand, Colin Hanks playfully fired shots at his beloved dad on NPR’s Morning Edition by saying who he’d give that esteemed title to, and you can’t blame him:
People always refer to my dad as the nicest guy in Hollywood. And I just want to scream, ‘Well, you clearly have never heard of John Candy!’
Looks like Tom Hanks has some competition! You’d naturally assume that Colin Hanks, having grown up with his father, would be the first to call him “the nicest guy.” And on any other given day, he probably would. However, the Orange County actor’s dedication to his passion project, John Candy: I Like Me, can easily sway anyone to what a nice guy the Canadian actor was as well.
As director of the documentary, Colin Hanks’ “vision” was to honor the legacy of the cherished actor through archival footage, scenes from his best movies, and interviews from those who loved him. Considering the Fargo actor knew Candy growing up, who starred alongside his father in two movies, co-producer Glen Zipper said Hanks wanted people watching the TIFF-premiered documentary the same way they would a John Candy-scripted movie. I’m already expecting myself to laugh and cry watching it.
Excerpts from I Like Me have proven what a sincerely nice guy John Candy was. For example, Steve Martin said the comedic actor knew how to make him laugh during the long production of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles through imitating dubbing and doing fake fight scenes.
Macaulay Culkin, who co-starred with Candy in Uncle Buck when he was 8, remembered his co-star’s “caring” nature when he showed concern after noticing the tension between the then-child star and his dad. Together, these memories show that The Second City alum was more than a comedic actor, but a kind man whose warmth will always be remembered.
While I’m sure Colin Hanks recognizes what a nice guy his father is, working on his John Candy documentary likely gave him a deeper appreciation for the warmth of the Spaceballs actor that couldn’t be ignored. Watching so much archival footage and hearing the testimonials of each of Candy’s loved ones clearly couldn’t escape the director’s mind on why people loved the Hollywood actor so much.
You can see why Colin Hanks finds John Candy “the nicest guy in Hollywood” by watching John Candy: I Like Me streaming on your Amazon Prime subscription.