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Tom Hanks advises young men to work for strong, female bosses

Rex Features
Rex Features

Tom Hanks has said that he believes young men starting out in any industry should strive to work for strong, female bosses.

He gave his thoughts on the gender equality movement during an interview with The Washington Post on the red carpet for the premiere of his new film The Post, in which he co-stars with Meryl Streep.

In light of the #MeToo movement, Hannah Jewell asked for Hanks to impart his wisdom on how young men can make a positive impact.

“It’s a meritocracy that has nothing to do with gender,” he said.

“I think the best thing that could happen for any young man entering any workplace is to work for a strong, fair, demanding, taskmaster, task-mistress, of a female boss.

“And I’m lucky, I had that. I had that with Penny Marshall and Nora Ephron and Amy Pascal and Stacey Snider.

Meg Ryan, Nora Ephron and Tom Hanks at the 1998 premiere of 'You've Got Mail' (Rex Features)
Meg Ryan, Nora Ephron and Tom Hanks at the 1998 premiere of 'You've Got Mail' (Rex Features)

“I worked for a lot of women who took no slack from me and expected the absolute best."

Hanks has had many famous hits under the supervision of female directors.

He was nominated for Best Actor at the 1989 Academy Awards for his performance in Marshall’s Big, and Ephron’s Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail are both considered rom-com classics.

This isn’t the first time Hanks has shown his support for gender equality.

In March last year, Hanks was interviewed by actress and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson about the HeForShe campaign for Esquire magazine.

He told the Harry Potter actress: “If we are not continuously moving towards equal rights, equal opportunities and equal freedoms for every member of the human race - not just that half that is male - then we have squandered all we have learned.”

Actor Rita Wilson, who is married to Hanks, also spoke during the red carpet interview about the open-mindedness of younger generations.

“We have two 'millennials,' if you want to call them that, and I think there has already been a shift because those kids grew up understanding equality, whether it was gender equality or sexual equality,” she said.

“I think that that generation is already very present and very aware, and I think it’s going to be, moving forward, they’re going to find it easier to have that kind of attitude going forward.”