Tom Hanks Says He Only Starred In Da Vinci Code For The Money

Tom Hanks mocked the idealistic storylines of The Da Vinci Code films as he described the projects as a 'commercial enterprise'.

The 65-year-old touched on his previous work during an interview ahead of the release of Elvis - director Baz Luhrmann’s biopic in which Hanks stars as the singer's shadowy talent manager, Col. Tom Parker.

The role offers a rare look at Hanks as, while arguably not a 'bad guy', a not-so-nice one, either. It's a stark difference from his beloved Toy Story character or the wholesome men we meet in Forrest Gump or A Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood; in fact from many of the roles he has taken on over his decades-long career.

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In 2006, Hanks first took on the role of Professor Robert Langdon in The Da Vinci Code, based on Dan Brown's book of the same name. It's an action-packed adventure perfect for anyone with a love of solving mysteries, and proved successful enough to spark two sequels over the next decade.

However, the actor has admitted in an interview with The New York Times that unlike some of his other more realistic projects, the franchise was, to be blunt, nonsense.

"Oh, God, that was a commercial enterprise," he said, after being asked whether making the sequels was 'a little cynical'.

He continued: "Yeah, those Robert Langdon sequels are hooey. The Da Vinci Code was hooey. I mean, Dan Brown, God bless him, says, Here is a sculpture in a place in Paris! No, it’s way over there. See how a cross is formed on a map? Well, it’s sort of a cross."

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Hanks went on to describe the movies as 'delightful scavenger hunts that are about as accurate to history as the James Bond movies are to espionage', but argued they are not 'cynical'.

"All we were doing is promising a diversion," he continued. "There’s nothing wrong with good commerce, provided it is good commerce. By the time we made the third one, we proved that it wasn’t such good commerce."

Though the films might not have been Hanks' best work, the actor made clear that making them was a memorable experience as he described filming in the Louvre in Paris at night, where he 'changed [his] pants in front of the Mona Lisa'.

"They brought me a birthday cake in the Grand Salon! Who gets to have that experience? Any cynicism there? Hell no!," he continued.

Hanks is believed to have earned an estimated $20-25 million dollars (£16.4m - £20m) from each of the three Da Vinci Code films.