Why Tom Hanks Refused to Appear on ‘Fantasy Island’

Tom Hanks never wanted to take de plane on Fantasy Island. In an old interview with Oprah Winfrey, Hanks recalled how he learned to turn down acting gigs, revealing that he first declined an offer to appear on Fantasy Island between Bosom Buddies’ “two grand seasons.” 

“I said, ‘You know, I’m not going to do Fantasy Island,’” Hanks recalled of rejecting a trip to the mysterious Atlantic Ocean locale. “They said, ‘What are you talking about? What are you doing instead?’”

A few years prior, he guest-starred on a 1979 episode of The Love Boat, and the role’s soft edges made him think twice about whether he wanted to take a vacation with Mr. Roarke and Tattoo.

“Based on my trip on the Love Boat, I said, ‘I’d just as soon not do Fantasy Island,’” Hanks explained, referencing his part as a former frat brother on the show’s Season Four premiere. “Somewhere in the middle of my career, there came a moment when I said, ‘I’m not going to play pussies anymore.’ Up until then, I’d made a career out of playing ordinary guys who couldn’t figure out how things work.” 

Though this mindset pushed him to take on his now-legendary roles in Splash and Big, Hanks said he further refined his taste following A League of Their Own in 1992. “I took a year off from making any artistic decisions,” he said of his choice to briefly step away from his “express train” career in the early ‘90s. “I finally had to ask myself, ‘What kind of creative entity am I? And when do I start to control some of my artistic destiny?’”

Two years later, Hanks would go on to win back-to-back Oscars for his roles in Philadelphia and Forrest Gump respectively, later enthralling audiences with his performances in Toy Story, Saving Private Ryan, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood and more. 

Talk about a fantasy come true…