Chet Hanks says he didn’t have a ‘strong male role model’ growing up

CNN

By Lisa Respers France, CNN

Chet Hanks is reflecting on growing up the child of famous parents, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson.

In a video titled “The Truth About Growing Up As A Hanks” posted on the younger Hanks’ YouTube channel, he talked about his upbringing surrounded by wealth and fame.

“My experience was even more complicated because, on top of fame already being toxic, I wasn’t even famous,” Hanks said.

He was perceived, he said, as “arrogant, entitled and spoiled” by his peers and “didn’t have a strong male role model” to impress upon him that “they are just jealous of you.”

Hanks, 31, and his brother Truman, 26, are the sons of the Oscar-winning actor and Wilson, his wife. The elder Hanks also has a son, Colin Hanks, 44, and a daughter, Elizabeth Hanks, 39, from his previous marriage to Samantha Lewes.

Chet Hanks said he was prejudged by people.

“It was extremely hard to break down their walls,” he shared. “So, I encountered a lot of disdain, a lot of animosity and negativity because everybody was just prepared to hate my guts.”

Last year Hanks ranted against vaccines and masks, despite his parents being among the first high-profile celebrities to go public with their Covid-19 diagnosis.

The-CNN-Wire
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