Tom Hanks‘ son Chet Hanks opened up about working with his father on the music video for his new song, “You Better Run,” and joked about the A-list star’s attitude.
While appearing on the Tuesday, June 24, episode of Today, Chet, 34, joked that Tom, 68, was “a real prima donna” while filming the music video. However, he quickly made it clear that he was on fooling around by adding, “I’m just kidding. He’s the most easygoing dude ever. Love you, Dad.”
Chet’s Something Out West collaborator, Drew Arthur, also chimed in to share what it was like to work with the You’ve Got Mail star. “It was funny because I had to do a scene before him, and he’s just standing there. I was like, ‘Tom was waiting for me,'” Arthur told host Jenna Bush Hager.
In the music video, Chet pays homage to his father’s iconic titular role in the 1994 film Forrest Gump. Chet recreates many scenes from the beloved movie in the music video, while his two world collide when Tom joins him by sitting on the legendary bench from the movie.
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In addition to Chet, Tom and his wife, Rita Wilson, share son Truman Hanks. The Cast Away actor also shares daughter Elizabeth Ann Hanks and son Colin Hanks with his late ex-wife, Samantha Lewes.
While Chet has been open about how his parents have inspired his entertainment career, he’s also admitted that it wasn’t always easy growing up as the child of celebrities.
“There’s a lot of advantages but sometimes it can be pretty weird,” he said in a since-deleted 2022 YouTube video, according to E Online! “I got to do a lot of cool s–t that a lot of people don’t get the opportunity to do. I got to travel the world, stay in nice hotels, fly on private planes and I’m very blessed for that. I wouldn’t change my situation.”
He added that having famous parents made him the target of “jealousy” and “envy.”
“My experience was even more complicated because on top of fame already being toxic, I wasn’t even famous,” Chet shared. “I was just the son of somebody famous so I hadn’t even done anything to deserve any sort of recognition and that created a lot of contempt.”
