Tom Hanks Reveals the TV Show He Turned Down

More than 2 decades ago, During a wide-ranging interview with Oprah about his Hollywood career, Tom Hanks opened up about learning to say no to projects that didn’t feel right. One example he shared was the hit TV show Fantasy Island.

“I had to say no to Fantasy Island back when I was doing Bosom Buddies… I got an offer in between our two grand seasons of Bosom Buddies, and I said, ‘You know, I’m not going to do Fantasy Island,’” Hanks explained.

“They said, ‘What are you talking about? What are you doing instead?’”

Hanks revealed that he had instead appeared on The Love Boat around the same time. Reflecting on that decision, he said, “Based on my trip on the Love Boat, I said, ‘I’d just as soon not do Fantasy Island.’”

The actor also discussed how his approach to roles changed as his career progressed. “Somewhere in the middle of my career, there came a moment when I said, ‘I’m not going to play pussies anymore.’ Up until then, I’d made a career out of playing ordinary guys who couldn’t figure out how things work. After I did A League of Their Own, I took a year off from making any artistic decisions.”

For context, Fantasy Island was an American fantasy drama series created by Gene Levitt that aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The show starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tattoo, granting guests their “fantasies” for a price.

The series has seen a one-season revival in 1998, a horror-themed prequel film in 2020, and a sequel series that premiered on Fox in 2021.

Hanks’ decision highlights how even major stars sometimes have to turn down popular projects to follow their instincts.