Tom Hanks is promoting his Clint Eastwood directed film, Sully, about Capt. Chesley Sullenberger who successfully landed his plane on the Hudson River. It opens this Friday and looks good. The part seems to call for all the conflict, gravitas and depth that Hanks can bring to these roles.

While being interviewed about Sully at the Telluride Film Festival, Eastwood spoke to wanting to do more original content after which Hanks interrupted his own interview to proclaim the brilliance of Damien Chazelle’s new film La La Land, which had been shown the day before. Hank’s remarks were part trumpeting the film’s brilliance and imploring support for original content.

“I like to think we approach movies the same way we approach being members of the audience in that you just want to see something you have never seen before. It’s funny. Who saw La La Land yesterday?” Hanks said as members of the audience clapped in response. “When you see something that is brand new, that you can’t imagine, and you think, ‘Well, thank God this landed,’ because I think a movie like La La Land would be anathema to studios. Number one, it is a musical and no one knows the songs.”

Hanks then made a quip about Warner Bros., the studio distributing Sully, likely being thrilled that he interrupted an event for the film to praise another studio’s movie before elaborating on his initial sentiment.

“This is not a movie that falls into some sort of trend. I think it is going to be a test of the broader national audience, because it has none of the things that major studios want,” he said. “Pre-awareness is a big thing they want, which is why a lot of remakes are going on. [La La Land] is not a sequel, nobody knows who the characters are…But if the audience doesn’t go and embrace something as wonderful as this then we are all doomed.”

[From Entertainment Weekly]

Only Tom Hanks could get away with pausing a Warner Bros. press interview to promote a Lionsgate film. Technically Hanks was just citing an example of what Eastwood had discussed but most outlets are running with the narrative that he encapsulated our frustration for unique content. However, Sully is original in that this story has not been made into a film before (the film is adapted from Sullenberger’s autobiography, Sully: My Search for What Really Matters). And yet Hanks didn’t cite it for it’s originality because let’s face it, a conflicted-hero story is not exactly foreign in Hollywood. I think Hanks was hyped about a very different type of film but I also think he was reminding the movie-goers to put their money where their mouths are. Most indy films make their way to my neck of the woods. I don’t go see half the ones I should but I complain about the “same old thing” all the time.

However much we claim to dislike remakes we do love reunions. Such was almost the case yesterday on Good Morning America when both Tom and Meg Ryan were promoting their films (she is promoting Ithaca, in which Hanks has a cameo). Alas, they were not in the same place at the same time – Tom saw Meg outside the window and yelled “I love you sweetie! I’ll find you. I’ll wait for you. I’ll meet you in the park.” He also pointed out the Bubba Gump Shrimp company restaurant in the background and said that in 1977 it was a bank where he had to cash a $47 check. “I wish I could have said ‘Hey, this is going to be a restaurant based on my movie.’” Tom then invited everyone for free appetizers.

WATCH: “I love you sweetie!” – @tomhanks and @RealMegRyan on @GMA the same day!? Love it!! https://t.co/WRSZlQL3vF

— Good Morning America (@GMA) September 6, 2016

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