Tom Hanks Reacts to Daughter E.A. Hanks’ “Honest” Memoir

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Tom Hanks is always on his daughter’s side.

Two months following the publication of Elizabeth Anne Hanks’ memoir, titled “The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Role,” where she claimed to have endured emotional and physical abuse from her late mother Susan Dillingham, the actor famously known for his role in “Forrest Gump” expressed his thoughts on the book.

Tom explained to Access Hollywood during their May 29 interview that he wasn’t shocked his daughter had the resourcefulness and inquisitiveness to investigate this item, given she was exceptionally honest about it. He went on to say, “We all come from lives with flaws and imperfections, each one of us.

He noted, “She’s absolutely stunning,” and expressed his pride since she confides in him, as she’s been quite transparent about her journey.

The actor famed for his role in “Cast Away”, who is also the son of Colin Hanks (age 47), as well as Chet Hanks (age 34) and Truman Hanks (age 29), shares with his wife Rita Wilson – predicted a promising future for his daughter even before she could talk.

Tom said, “By around six weeks, if you have children, you can truly understand their unique character. Their temperament becomes apparent, and their perspective of the world is visible through their gestures and facial expressions.

However, as E.A. recounted her childhood experiences, she found the years after Tom and Susan’s 1987 divorce to be a significant shift. In fact, in an excerpt from her book published by People, the 43-year-old stated that what was once their grand “columned house with a pool in the backyard and horse pictures adorning every wall” eventually became a place filled with smoke’s unpleasant odor.

Due to Susan gaining primary custody of E.A. and her brother Colin, the family suddenly relocated from Los Angeles to Sacramento, California, leaving Tom in a state of shock as he hadn’t expected this move.

According to E.A., her father arrived at school to collect us, but He had to search for our whereabouts instead.

After some time, a divorce arrangement was finalized, which meant that I would spend my weekends and summer vacations with my father, stepmother, and later on, my younger half-brothers. However, from the age of 5 to 14, I experienced years marked by confusion, violence, scarcity, and love – those were the formative years of a girl growing up in Sacramento.

Over time, E.A claimed that the state of their home worsened significantly, and cohabiting with their mother grew progressively challenging.

She reminisced that our backyard was constantly overflowing with dog waste to the point it was difficult to navigate around it. The refrigerator was either empty or filled with spoiled food far too frequently. My mom spent an increasing amount of time in her large, four-poster bed, engrossed in the Bible. On one particular evening, her emotional turmoil escalated into physical aggression.

E.A. expressed, “Sometimes I wish there was a simpler response when someone asks, ‘What was your mom like?’ It’s a challenging reality that if she often physically harmed me, I could say, ‘She was abusive,’ and people would instantly understand my meaning, much like the lyrics of one of her favorite songs convey.

For more about the Hanks family, keep reading.

 

She remembered that our backyard was frequently overflowing with dog waste to the point where it was difficult to move around, she said. The refrigerator was either empty or filled with spoiled food more times than not, and her mother spent an increasing amount of time in a large four-poster bed, engrossed in the Bible. One evening, her mother’s emotional aggression escalated into physical violence.

E.A. expressed, “Whenever a friend inquires about my mom, I sometimes yearn for a simpler response. The awkward reality is that if she frequently physically abused me, I could easily say, ‘She was an abusive person,’ and people would immediately understand what I meant, as a popular song from one of her favorite albums captures it, ‘They’d all know precisely what I meant.’

For more about the Hanks family, keep reading.

 

Tom Hanks is recognized globally as an Academy Award-winning actor, but for his four children – Colin, E.A., Chet, and Truman – he’s simply their dad. In a conversation with The New York Times in 2019, the Forrest Gump star shared that being a parent mainly involves expressing love, ensuring they know they can’t do wrong, and asking for their forgiveness when needed. He added that his role is to offer them unwavering support and protection, which he does in whatever way he can.

Moreover, Tom, who married Rita Wilson in 1988, emphasizes the importance of safeguarding his children’s privacy by distinguishing between their public and private lives. As he stated on an episode of In Depth with Graham Bensinger in 2020, they managed to maintain this separation, ensuring that there were times when their children should not be in the public eye, especially during their upbringing.

Prior to Tom’s marriage to Rita, he encountered Susan Dillingham (who had minor roles as Samantha Lewes) during their time at Sacramento State. The pair were parents to son Colin, born in 1977, when they tied the knot in 1980 and later welcomed daughter E.A., whose initials stand for Elizabeth Ann, in 1982. However, three years later, Tom and Susan parted ways. Tom recounted this period as “a terribly difficult time, filled with emotion, negative feelings, and the regret that one might think, ‘I couldn’t be a worse father, and I couldn’t be a worse human being.'” This time, he said, was like a curse on innocent beings due to his own failings. He sought therapy and found solace in confidants during this period. Tom mentioned that help could come from trusted priests at church or reliable friends. “I’ve had versions of all those things that have been the type of people who have said, ‘You know, you’re not a horrible person, and this will pass. You just gotta have a little bit of faith and goodness that is inside yourself.'” Susan passed away in 2002 after fighting cancer.

Tom and Rita first crossed paths in 1981 when she guest-starred on his show “Bosom Buddies,” and they later shared the screen in the 1985 film “Volunteers.” As Tom recounted to GQ (via People), their connection during “Volunteers” was immediate. He later asked Rita if it was true love, and she couldn’t deny it. They got married in 1988 and have since been both life partners and professional collaborators, working together on movies like “That Thing You Do!” and “Sleepless in Seattle,” and producing films such as “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” and “A Man Called Otto.”

Throughout their journey, they’ve stood by each other through thick and thin—including Rita’s 2015 battle with breast cancer. Reflecting on her 10-year cancer-free anniversary in March 2025, she emphasized the importance of nurturing their relationship to keep the love burning. In a 2019 interview with Access Hollywood, she explained that in any long-term relationship, it’s essential for both partners to cultivate and maintain the initial spark to overcome the ups and downs that life inevitably brings.

Colin Hanks, who is the eldest son of Tom from his past marriage with Susan, found acting intriguing at a young age, much like his father. As he candidly shared on an episode of Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend in 2022, it was pure fun that drew him to acting, and he enjoyed it most when there was minimal pressure.

However, during a phase, he distanced himself from acting due to the constant expectations associated with his famous father. Yet, Colin attributes his return to acting to his dad’s words of advice: “You have to genuinely want this. If you don’t truly love it, then find something else, because you will be unhappy if this is not what you are deeply passionate about.”

Over the years, Colin has appeared in numerous movies and TV shows such as Life in Pieces, Roswell, Orange County, King Kong, The House Bunny, Untraceable. He has also lent his voice to animated projects like Talking Tom and Friends.

Colin is happily married to Samantha Bryant and is a proud father to daughters Olivia and Charlotte.

Tom’s only child from his past marriage with Susan is E.A. Hanks. Unlike her siblings who developed an interest in filmmaking, E.A chose a different professional route. Previously working as a writer for Vanity Fair, she has also contributed to various publications such as TIME, The Guardian, and The New York Times. She is also an author, with her memoir titled “The 10” set to be released on April 8, 2025.

According to Simon & Schuster’s description, the book chronicles E.A.’s odyssey as she retraces a past road trip with her mother in an effort to comprehend the complex woman who brought her into this world.

In a People magazine excerpt, E.A recalls the period following her parents’ separation when Susan had custody of her and her brother Colin, while Tom visited them on weekends. However, one day, she noted that Susan moved them from Los Angeles to Sacramento without informing their father.

“My dad came to pick us up from school, but we weren’t there,” E.A wrote. “Apparently, we hadn’t been there for two weeks, and he had to search for us.”

In the book, E.A also shares her experiences of living with her mother, describing their backyard as filled with dog waste, the house reeking of smoke, and the refrigerator containing either expired food or nothing at all.

“One night, her emotional abuse turned physical,” E.A wrote. “In its aftermath, I moved to Los Angeles, right in the middle of the seventh grade.

Born in August 1990, Chet Hanks is the eldest son of Tom and Rita, and like his parents, he has a passion for acting. Over time, he has appeared on TV shows such as Running Point, Your Honor, Empire, and Shameless, as well as movies like Dead Wrong, Fantastic Four, Larry Crowne, and Greyhound, which starred his father.

Chet also shares his mother’s love for music. In addition to releasing a few rap tracks, he is part of the country music duo Something Out West. They released a Forrest Gump-themed music video for their song “You Better Run” in March 2025, featuring Tom.

In 2024, Chet was a cast member on The Surreal Life: Villa of Secrets and made headlines for some questionable moments, including using a Jamaican Patois accent at the 2020 Golden Globes and coining the phrase “white boy summer” in 2021.

More recently, Chet has been focusing on his work, family (he shares a daughter named Michaiah with ex Tiffany Miles), and sobriety. He expressed his gratitude for his parents’ continued support throughout his journey during an episode of The Drew Barrymore Show in March 2025.

Born in December 1995, Truman Hanks is the youngest among the Hanks siblings and is making his way into the movie-making world, similar to his famous parents, Tom and Rita. Interestingly, unlike them, he seems more comfortable working behind the camera. As Tom shared on a 2023 episode of SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show, Truman has been working with cameras and lenses since high school and is even a member of the camera union in New York. He has already worked on films as part of the camera department and has shot his own projects, earning the title of cinematographer and director of photography.

Truman has also tried his hand at acting, portraying the younger version of Tom’s character in the 2022 film A Man Called Otto. Tom humorously noted that Truman and he look strikingly similar at the age of 26. Apart from filmmaking, Truman is a mathematics major who graduated from Stanford University.

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2025-06-05 16:47