Tom Hanks has spoken out about one of his greatest movie roles - but admits he wouldn't accept the part if it was offered to him today.
Back in 1994, Hanks took home his first Oscar when he won in the Best Actor category at that year's Academy Award.
The beloved actor had received critical acclaim for his role as Andrew Beckett in the 1993 movie Philadelphia. In the movie, Hanks plays a senior associate at a Philadelphia law firm, who is then faced with adversity when it is revealed that he is gay and battling AIDS.
When accepting his Oscar for the role at the time, Hanks was sure to should out two gay men who had inspired him at a young age; his friend John Gilkerson and his old high school drama teacher Mr. Rawley Farnsworth.
"I mention their names because they are two of the finest gay Americans, two wonderful men that I had the good fortune to be associated with, to fall under their inspiration at such a young age," Hank said, adding: "I wish my babies could have the same sort of teacher, the same sort of friends."
Watch Hanks' acceptance speech below:Commenting on his role as a gay man battling AIDS, an emotional Hanks then said: "I know that my work, in this case, is magnified by the fact that the streets of heaven are too crowded with angels. We know their names."
However, in a recent interview with The New York Times, Hanks admits that he would not accept the role if it was offered to him today.
After interviewer David Marchese questioned whether Hanks could get away with starring in both Philedelphia and Forrest Gump in 2022, Hanks replied: "...Let’s address 'could a straight man do what I did in Philadelphia now?'
"No, and rightly so.
"The whole point of 'Philadelphia' was don’t be afraid. One of the reasons people weren’t afraid of that movie is that I was playing a gay man. We’re beyond that now, and I don’t think people would accept the inauthenticity of a straight guy playing a gay guy."
Hanks then spoke in support of those demanding more authenticity from actors who are cast in certain roles.
Addressing Forrest Gump - another role that earned Hanks the Oscar for Best Actor the following year - Hanks said the movie would be "dead in the water" today.
The 65-year-old then said that the movie's premise - which tells the story of a kind-hearted but simple man who is influenced by some of the United States' most historic moments - would be "mocked and picked apart on social media" before anybody had even watched it.
