Tom Hanks Fought For The Role Of Col. Tom Parker In 'Elvis'

Tom Hanks generally plays the good guy, Forrest Gump and Mr. Rogers being good examples. However, in the recent Elvis biopic (now streaming on HBO Max), he traded in his good-guy image to play the controversial Colonel Tom Parker. Turns out that he fought for the opportunity to play the bad guy in the film.

Tom Parker was Elvis’ manager and made some questionable decisions in his life and career. He took lots of money from Elvis as they worked together and would often lead him down self-serving roads in order to pay off his own debts. He also lied to everyone about being American when he was actually from the Netherlands.

Tom Hanks really wanted to play Col. Tom Parker

ELVIS, Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker, 2022. © Warner Bros. / courtesy Everett Collection

Elvis director Baz Luhrmann said about Tom Hanks, “I sat down with him having not even written a script yet and he said: ‘Well if you want me, I’m your guy.'” He added that he wanted to play a character that “his fanbase wouldn’t want him to.”

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ELVIS, from left: Austin Butler as Elvis Presley, Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker, 2022. © Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection

Baz continued, “Like all despots, Tom Parker was empathetic. He did love Elvis and was also exploiting the hell out of him so Tom Hanks wanted to run towards that role, he jumped at the chance to do a repugnant character.”

Hanks added, “[Parker] was a promoter and not a manager. He did not have an artistic thought in his body. He didn’t care what Elvis sang on stage. He cared about the reaction of the audience. He had never seen that before. Elvis could sing whatever he wanted. He literally never made any artistic suggestion to Elvis.” Have you seen Elvis yet?