Tom Hanks remembers going ‘bug-eyed’ with terror after four men violently hijacked his film set

Tom Hanks, known for his affable personality and legendary acting career, opened up about a particularly unnerving scene from Captain Phillips that left him feeling genuinely scared. In an interview on Conan O’Brien’s Conan Needs A Friend podcast, Hanks recalled filming a crucial scene where his character, Richard Phillips, is taken hostage by Somali pirates. The actors, playing the crew members aboard the Maersk Alabama, had never met the four men portraying the pirates, and the scene felt incredibly real.

Hanks described the pirates as “the scariest human beings I have ever met,” recalling how they entered the scene, yelling and physically intimidating the actors by slapping, pushing, and hitting them. To add to the intensity, the pirates were holding actual guns. Hanks said the entire experience was unnerving because it felt like they were genuinely in danger, with the actors’ fear translating into authentic performances. Hanks and his co-stars were “petrified and bug-eyed” during the scene, which, as Hanks put it, was the “most truly scary, intense, real-life scene” of his entire career.

Filming on location aboard a real container ship instead of a controlled soundstage only amplified the realism of the experience. Hanks also shared a funny moment from the set, where one of the pirates, Mahat M. Ali, expressed disbelief at working with the actor, saying, “I can’t believe I’m working with Forrest Gump.”

This wasn’t Hanks’ first time facing challenges during filming. While making Cast Away (2000), he had a leg injury that became infected, causing a three-week break in production. Hanks’ willingness to dive into such physically and emotionally intense roles is a testament to his dedication to his craft. Whether playing a stranded man on a desert island or a beloved children’s TV host, Hanks commits fully to each role, delivering performances that resonate deeply with audiences.