Just because you’re the son of an international superstar who has more accolades under his belt than you have years doesn’t mean life is going to be easy, especially if you’re going to follow in his footsteps.
It’s hard not to notice how much Colin Hanks resembles, talks like and even acts like his father, Tom, and it’s something that’s been a source of frustration for the younger Hanks since the 32-year-old broke into an acting career.
But now with new Fox cop dramedy The Good Guys on the horizon and a wedding ring on his finger, Hanks might have found a role to break free from his father’s shadow. (Check out our feature story on the show and co-star Bradley Whitford's awesome moustache here.)
TVGuide.ca caught up with the actor at the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena, Calif., this past January to chat about his genes, his stint on Mad Men, and of course, being a “Good Guy.”
TVGuide.ca: I’m sure you get this a lot, but you look more like your dad than your dad looks like himself! It’s uncanny.
Colin Hanks: It’s simple science; it’s nothing to do with my dad.
TVG: Have you ever thought of growing a moustache similar to Bradley Whitford’s?
CH: I would if it came out in a dark colour. Mine comes out blond, so it doesn’t really look too good. Bradley’s looks more like a porn star; mine looks more like a child porn star. That’s probably not appropriate for what you’re writing.
TVG: Can you talk a bit about the evolution of your acting, going from being the funny-looking guy in previous roles, to actually getting to say funny things in this series?
CH: I guess I sort of did it well. For some reason, there was a period where that kind of comedy was very popular. Take one dude, make him this sort of straight guy, embarrass the hell out of him, and all the people around him will be really crazy and zany and we’ll just wait for him to explode. That’s fine, and I did it, I had a good time, but eventually I sort of required something else.
TVG: Like this role.
CH: Yes — this was something that was so obviously two-handed opposites really going at each other and letting each other sort of have it, in a way that I thought was really great and really funny. The chance just to be able to be reading a character and seeing all the stuff that he’s going up against, and then him actually saying something about it was sort of liberating for me. So I’m very much looking forward to being able to do that.
TVG: Do you prefer comedy or drama, because you were in that little show called Mad Men for a while too.
CH: I enjoy both – I think both serve purposes that I enjoy. I guess I could do stuff that’s engaging to me and is fun to do on the day. And that hopefully is fun to watch, whatever your definition of fun may be, whether it’s laughing or crying or having some sort of emotional connection, that’s all that it is. I just like trying to do it all more than anything else.
TVG: Are there any plans for you to return to Mad Men at all?
CH: As with all things with the Mad Men television program I can neither confirm nor deny any future involvement. That’s my standard response.
TVG: In all seriousness, I know I cracked a joke earlier about how much you look like your dad, but is there a frustration for you in having a famous father and trying to break out on your own?
CH: Well, I could get frustrated all I want, but it sure as hell isn’t going to change anything. It sort of is what it is and there was a period there where it became extremely frustrating because it was never a big issue for me, and so to constantly have it come up, I sort of felt like, ‘Yes, that’s fascinating. I’ve been doing this for a while now,’ as I got older and it kept coming up. I know it’s interesting for people and there’s really nothing I can do about it. There’s nothing I really need to do about it.
A sneak preview of The Good Guys airs Wednesday, May 19, 8 p.m. ET/PT, Global/Fox.
Regular episodes begin Monday, June 7 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Global/Fox.
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