Tom Hanks' wife Rita Wilson reveals what really happened in viral Cannes red carpet moment

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By Phoebe Egoroff

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Rita Wilson has spoken out about what really happened on the Cannes Film Festival red carpet this week when her husband, Tom Hanks, seemingly became engaged in a tense discussion with PR manager Vincent Chapalain.

Wilson and Hanks, both 66, have been in the south of France to attend the premiere of Hanks' new film, Asteroid City, which premiered at the star-studded festival on Tuesday (May 23).

It was at that event that the actor appeared uncharacteristically frustrated as he pointed a finger at Vincent Chapalain, while Wilson - who also stars in the Wes Anderson-directed film - could be seen holding her hand up in front of her as she spoke to the man.

Chapalain did address the incident on Twitter, commenting underneath the tweet of a French journalist who posted an image of the apparent altercation with the caption (translated): "Did Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson get confused with security? An explanation?"

Soon afterward, Chapalain responded (translated): "They simply asked me if they should return to the start of the carpet with the rest of the film crew (I am not security.) And with the cries of photographers, they needed to speak loudly."

Wilson then took to her Instagram account to post the image to her story after The Daily Mail and other outlets published pieces on the apparent "tense interaction" and "rant".

The text overlay on her upload read: "This is called 'I can't hear you. People are screaming. What did you say? Where are we supposed to go?' But that doesn't sell stories! Nice try. We had a great time! Go see Asteroid City!"

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Credit: Instagram.com

The incident clearly didn't faze the couple, who recently celebrated their milestone 35-year wedding anniversary earlier this month.

Wilson and Hanks have been very vocal about their love for one another over the years, with Wilson telling talk show host Kelly Clarkson in 2020 that she was drawn to her husband after they connected during their first meeting.

"One of the things, when we met, was that we just got along instantly. First of all, I love a good storyteller. So anybody who could tell a good story, I'm down with that. ... I love that. He makes me laugh all the time. He's a great storyteller," she said, via People.

Wilson also recounted to Piers Morgan a sweet moment she had with Hanks early on in their relationship, revealing: "I'll never forget, we were standing on the corner of 57th and 5th in New York, or 58th and 5th. We were holding hands, and we were waiting for the traffic light to change. And he looked at me and he said, 'You know, I just want you to know, that you never have to change anything about who you are in order to be with me.'

"Literally, a wave of - if love is a feeling, or a cellular thing that happens to your body, it went through me, and that's pretty much who he is, and how he's been."

Featured image credit: michael melia / Alamy