Tom Hanks' Feet Firmly On The Ground Amid Oscar Buzz For Pilot Performance

Tom Hanks' Feet Firmly On The Ground Amid Oscar Buzz For Pilot Performance
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Tom Hanks has insisted it is too early to talk about the Oscar buzz surrounding his performance as heroic pilot Chesley Sullenberger in Sully.

The two-time Academy Award winner has earned positive reviews for his portrayal of the US Airways pilot who successfully landed a passenger plane on New York's Hudson River in 2009.

Despite a number of critics tipping Hanks for another best actor Oscar nomination, the Forrest Gump star said he avoided talk of awards ahead of Oscars night in February.

He told the Press Association: "That's somebody else's responsibility. I don't have to do anything like that.

"I'll go anywhere they invite me, man. I'll take that.

"But oh man, it's September. Cut us some slack will you."

Hanks was speaking at the 26th annual Simply Shakespeare benefit at UCLA's Freud Playhouse in Los Angeles.

He was joined by actress Christina Applegate and comedian Martin Short for a performance of Smokin' Shakespeare Motown Much Ado, a version of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing featuring a Motown soundtrack provided by Smokey Robinson.

Hanks said he believed the works of Shakespeare would continue to remain relevant to young audiences.

He said: "I remember very, very well being 17 years old and seeing a performance of Julius Caesar and I shouldn't have known what was going on but I knew exactly what was going on.

"Great Shakespeare performed beautifully by people who are good at it ends up being an unforgettable theatrical experience for everyone.

"It never dies out. The only time it dies out is when it's done badly. It should never be medicine, it should never be work. You just let the story unfold and have it all be very clear to you."

Sully is released in UK cinemas on December 2.