Chet Hanks has revealed the tips his dad, Tom, gave him to be successful in Hollywood.
Page Six reports that Hanks explained to them what he needed to do to make it in Hollywood ahead of his breakout role in Running Point on Netflix.
“I’ve always asked him for advice when it comes to acting, and he’s always given me really great advice,” said Chet. “He just said, ‘If you just know your lines, and you show up on time, and you’re nice to everybody, that gets you a long way.’”
In a recent interview with Esquire, Chet explained that he was ready to give up on acting if he didn’t get the role of the basketball player Travis Bugg in Mindy Kaling’s new Netflix series. “It was just uncanny—it’s almost like it was written for me, but it wasn’t,” said Chet. “So I basically get to be a slightly exaggerated version of myself.”
Chet also opened up about how he related to his characters’ addiction struggles in the series. “That’s just great writing, and I’m glad that they allowed the opportunity to give their character more depth,” explained Chet. “But it’s exciting.”
“I’ve always noticed art imitating life in a lot of the projects that I do, and I never think it’s intentional,” he continued. “I honestly think it’s just the harmonization of the universe. I’m grateful for it, and it’s always helpful when you can relate personally to whatever is happening with your character.”
Even though he ultimately got the role, Chet did reveal that there was worry about him being cast after he received the role.
“So they had a Zoom call with me and were like, ‘Look, we want to give you this role, but we just want to make sure you don’t do anything or post anything crazy,'” revealed Hanks. “And I was like, ‘Yeah, I won’t. A hundred percent. I got you. But you’ve got to admit, it’s kind of funny that this is a life-imitating-art situation. You guys are worried about the same things that the powers that be are worried about this character.'”