‘The Bonfire of the Vanities’: Discover Tom Hanks’ Most Unexpected Role That Defies His Iconic Image
Tom Hanks made a significant transition from his humorous performances to becoming one of the most admired performers in American cinema during the beginning of the 1990s. His desire to take on difficult parts was demonstrated by his roles in movies like ‘Philadelphia’, in which he played a gay man with AIDS. But in 1990, Hanks’ performance in ‘The Bonfire of the Vanities’—in which he portrayed Sherman McCoy, a womanising Wall Street broker who was suspected of a hit-and-run involving a Black youth—presented a potentially fatal obstacle to his career.
Tom Wolfe’s best-selling 1987 book, ‘The Bonfire of the Vanities’, examined racial tensions, media sensationalism, and social inequity in New York City. Despite having a strong ensemble that included Morgan Freeman, Bruce Willis, and Melanie Griffith, the movie was criticized for its casting decisions and changes from the original script due to heavy studio involvement. Hanks broke from his usual role as an innocent hero by playing Sherman, a wealthy and ethically dubious character.
Image Courtesy: IMDb
After evading police intervention after an attempted mugging in the Bronx, Sherman finds himself embroiled in a scandal in the movie. As the incident is sensationalized by the media, Sherman is charged by the Bronx District Attorney and is forced to fight for his image in public. Sherman’s actions reveal a morally reprehensible person motivated by wealth and money, in contrast to Hanks’s earlier personas, who frequently displayed warmth and sincerity.
Hanks makes an effort to strike a balance between Sherman’s heinous actions and vulnerable times, especially when he experiences personal losses. But in the end, the movie finds it difficult to sympathize with a character whose shortcomings are a reflection of the corrupt society in which he lives. The Bonfire of the Vanities is still a crucial, if difficult, chapter in Hanks’s career, even though his later roles would help rebuild his image.
–Farheen Ali
