Tom Hanks Defends His Family Against 'Nepo Baby' Criticism

As the discussion surrounding New York Magazine's viral "nepo baby" article rages on, the Oscar-winning actor pushed back against critics who claimed that rapper Chet Hanks and actors Elizabeth Hanks, Colin Hanks and Truman Hanks were given a leg-up in their careers thanks to their famous parents and Hollywood nepotism. And his take was pretty similar to other stars like Jamie Lee Curtis, Lily-Rose Depp and Lottie Moss, as he merely views stardom as their "family business."

"This is what we've been doing forever," as Tom told Reuters, according to The Sun. "It's what all of our kids grew up in. We have four kids. They're all very creative, they're all involved in some brand of storytelling."

The Forrest Gump star then went on to compare the Hanks' situation to any other family-owned endeavor, insisting that "if we were a plumbing supply business or if we ran the florist shop down the street, the whole family would be putting in time at some point, even if it was just inventory at the end of the year."

"The thing that doesn't change no matter what happens, no matter what your last name is, is whether it works or not," he continued before claiming that it wasn't as easy as it seemed.

"That's the issue anytime any of us go off and try to tell a fresh story, or create something that has a beginning, middle and end," Tom said. "Doesn't matter what our last names are. We have to do the work in order to make that a true and authentic experience for the audience."

He concluded, "And that's a much bigger task than worrying about whether anybody's going to try to scathe us or not."

You can hear what he has to say about the "nepo baby" conversation via The Sun's YouTube channel below.

Photo via Getty / Axelle / Bauer-Griffin / FilmMagic