Just because you’re a fan of a celebrity, you’re not allowed to invade their personal space. Tom Hanks made that crystal clear while in New York City with his wife, Rita Wilson, on Wednesday, June 15. When fans got too close for comfort and caused Wilson to trip, Hanks began yelling at the group while he and Wilson made their way to their car. He might be known as the nicest guy in Hollywood, but thanks to their actions, these fans and photographers got to see another side to the actor.
Read on to see the video of Hanks and Wilson’s encounter with fans and to find out what the Oscar winner had to say.
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Leaving a building and heading to a car on Wednesday night, Wilson and Hanks were approached by a large group that appeared to include both fans and paparazzi. In a video published by TMZ, the pair seem calm at first and even smile at the crowd, but soon, someone causes Wilson to trip and she yells, “Stop it!”
After Wilson tells the group to stop, Hanks lightly pushes some of the people back and shouts, “Back the [expletive] off! Knocking over my wife?” Someone in the crowd points the finger at someone else as the actors enter their car. Then, someone else can be heard saying, “Someone pushed me.”
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Even though Hanks is known for being personable and kind, he’s explained before that what makes him upset is when people take advantage of that aspect of his personality. Speaking about his reputation with The Herald Sun (via Closer), Hanks once said, “I’ll tell you this: If anybody takes advantage of my good nature, they’ll have hell to pay. Anyone who has done it, will say, ‘Oh, he’s not that nice a guy.’ Because when that happens, the hammer comes down and it’s relentless. I take care of business when it’s got to be taken care of.”
The video of Hanks and Wilson went viral online, and many fans cheered Hanks standing up to the crowd. Others expressed how disappointed they would feel be if the actor ever had that kind of reaction towards them.
“if Tom Hanks yelled and looked at me like that I think I would feel shame forever,” wrote one Twitter user, whose post has over 175K likes.
Some celebrities spoke out about the incident, too. NBA player LeBron James wrote, “I just saw the Tom Hanks clip of his wife almost being trampled over by the paparazzi. What the [expletive] ever happened to personal space?? Now if Tom would have stole on one of them, he would be the one in the wrong and probably sued! How are they protected more than he and his wife?”
Comedian Yvette Nicole Brown tweeted in part, “And I understand why he did it. He was protecting his wife. He’s still a kind, good man. Nothing you know about #TomHanks has changed because you heard him cuss.” Actor LeVar Burton posted, “Too many people mistake kindness for weakness. Don’t [expletive] with Tom Hanks, y’all! He’s nobody’s punk.”
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