31 - Tom

March 10, 2022·1 hr 21 min·5 clips

Tom Hanks admits he probably said 'dead eyes' — but explains it's the same as saying 'too blonde hair' or 'too tall,' just an in-the-moment director's snap judgment.

An email changes the room. Before the host answers it, he calls Ben Schwartz, who ends up listening in as the show edges toward the thing it has been circling for ages. The connection keeps dropping. Annoying, yes, but somehow right for a scene built out of anticipation, embarrassment, and the kind of disbelief that makes even an email feel loaded. Ben tries to keep him steady. The host still has not replied, and knowing it is only an email does not make it feel normal. Then Tom speaks. He does not sound like a verdict from the past. He sounds like someone describing the weather around an acting life. Luck gets said out loud. Good breaks, bad breaks, missed jobs, sudden series offers, and impossible timing all land in the same pile. Perseverance matters, but Tom does not sand off how rough it can get. Getting close can sting. Getting fired can stick, especially when the lost part starts to look like proof that you were never enough. He opens the frame a little wider too. People make lives in theater, local films, teaching, and educational theater. The host listens hard. Tom remembers buying himself some small thing after bad auditions, cheap enough to be silly but real enough to mark the day. A ballpoint pen, a notebook, a candy bar. Something to carry out when the room gave you nothing. By the end, the old phrase has changed shape. It still hurts, but it sits inside a larger, messier story about luck, endurance, and surviving being almost chosen.

As heard by us

A surprising email leads into a sharp, patient look at luck, work, and the grind of staying in the business.

The episode opens with a surprising email from Tom and a talk with Ben Schwartz, then broadens into a blunt look at luck, perseverance, getting fired, and what it takes to stay in the business when breaks do not come.

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Why you'd press play

A surprise Tom Hanks email leads into a very human conversation about being fired, bad luck, and staying in the game.

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