What Tom Hanks’ Acting Journey Can Teach Founders About Rejection and Reinvention

Tom Hanks didn’t set out to become a Hollywood icon. He didn’t grow up in the industry, didn’t have acting in his bloodline, and didn’t even consider it a viable career until well after high school. And yet, over four decades, he’s built one of the most legendary, versatile, and beloved careers in film.

But what’s most striking about Hanks’ journey isn’t his success—it’s how much of it hinged on rejection, risk, and a relentless willingness to show up and try.

In a conversation with Guy Raz on The Great Creators, Hanks unpacked the pivotal moments that shaped his path—from missing a role in a college play to finding himself cast in a life-changing Shakespeare production. That missed opportunity? “That’s not nearly as important as the job I didn’t get,” he said.

“I was just goofing around…”

Long before he became Forrest Gump, Tom Hanks was just a kid who moved 10 times before age 10, turning every new neighborhood into a fresh performance.

“All we did… was goof around and entertain ourselves,” he said, recalling childhood days in a small apartment where he and his siblings turned laundry and dinner into theater.

That energy—raw, unstructured, performative—would later fuel his first encounters with the stage in high school. A teacher, Raleigh Farnsworth, saw something in Hanks and cast him in roles that weren’t always leads, but demanded energy, presence, and comic instinct. Hanks was hooked.

“I looked into a scam that could get you through school,” he joked. “This is what I do all the time anyway.”

The Power of One “Shame on You”

After high school, Hanks was drifting through junior college, not even taking drama classes. Until a former classmate bumped into him and said something simple but piercing: “Shame on you.”

It rattled Hanks. “I realized I missed it,” he said. He signed up for drama again, started attending plays at Berkeley Rep and ACT in San Francisco, and slowly began to understand that acting could be a job, a calling, even.

That wake-up call didn’t just get him back on track. It rewired his ambition.

The Sliding Door Moment

Like many entrepreneurs, Hanks had his “sliding doors” moment: the audition that didn’t go his way, which led to the one that did. He was rejected from a college play (What the Butler Saw) and, with nothing to do, auditioned for The Cherry Orchard at a local theater. The director turned out to be Vincent Dowling from the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival.

That connection led Hanks to Cleveland, where he worked as an intern, carrying spears and moving sets, yes, but also acting with professionals. Eventually, it was that same director who looked him in the eye and said, “I think you could be an actor.”

Imagine missing a role… and ending up on a path to greatness because of it.

“Show up, know the text, and have an idea.”

One of the most powerful takeaways from Hanks’ interview is his mantra for creative collaboration. Whether working with Ron Howard, Nora Ephron, or Steven Spielberg, Hanks found that the best directors weren’t dictators, they were co-creators.

“They want you to have an idea that only you can bring,” he said. “But the rule is: you’ve got to show up, know the text, and have an idea”.

For entrepreneurs, this is gold. Showing up is non-negotiable. Mastery of your craft is table stakes. But it’s your ideas—your bold, unpolished, uniquely-you contributions—that create value.

Self-Doubt, Aging, and Getting Better

Even now, at 66, Hanks admits he battles self-consciousness before every shoot. “It’s never easy,” he said. “But the process is instinctive.” He likens the perfect performance to a kind of equipoise, a balance between focus and flow.

And unlike athletes, whose peak years are finite, Hanks sees creative growth as lifelong. “There’s just a ton of stuff I don’t worry about anymore,” he said. “But what’s become more important is knowing the text so well you don’t have to think about it.”

Experience doesn’t just add skill, it frees you to focus on what matters.

Why He Keeps Going

For Hanks, acting is more than a job. It’s a compulsion.

“I can’t wake up in the morning and not pursue some kind of story,” he said. “It’s more fun than fun.”

He compared it to the vigilance of parenting, “that state between relaxation and concentration.” The job demands everything and gives back even more.

So, what can you take away from Tom Hanks if you’re an entrepreneur?

• Rejection can be a redirection. The opportunity you miss might be the one that puts you on the right path.
• You don’t need a pedigree, just persistence. Hanks didn’t come from Hollywood. He built his career step by step.
• Bring your ideas to the table. Don’t just execute, contribute.
• Master the fundamentals. Know your lines. Know your craft. Then go deeper.
• Embrace the long game. Growth is nonlinear. Stay in the arena.

Tom Hanks may be one of the most famous actors alive. But his story is about something more universal: showing up, staying curious, and trusting that if you bring your full self—energy, ideas, and heart—magic might just follow.