Tom Hanks Was on 'GMA' and Things Got Wild

“My wife is so sick of the mustache era of my career,” Hanks said.

ByABC News via logo
September 6, 2016, 11:57 AM

— -- Tom Hanks was on “Good Morning America” today to chat about his new film, “Sully,” which depicts the life of pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who successfully landed a plane in the Hudson River in 2009. And although the role and opportunity to play a real-life hero is quite the accomplishment, there were three other really wild things that happened during Hanks’ interview.

Hanks Reunited With His Longtime On-Screen Lover and 'America’s Sweetheart' Meg Ryan -- Sort of

“I’m telling you, you came this close to having America’s sweethearts reunited on the set of "Good Morning America," he joked of Ryan, who was outside in Times Square promoting her new film, “Ithaca,” which is also her directorial debut.

“There’s Meg now. I love you, sweetie. Sweetie, I love you,” he joked, shouting outside in hopes that she would hear. “I’ll find you. I’ll wait for you. I’ll meet you in the park. Let’s have hot dogs at that thing by the place with the deal, and we’ll get to know each other again.”

Hanks Revealed That His Wife, Rita Wilson, Hates His Mustache

“My wife is so sick of the mustache era of my career,” the Oscar winner explained. “It’s like the first question she asks.”

Hanks obviously had a healthy, white mustache the entire time he filmed “Sully.”

“‘Honey I’m going to start a job in six weeks,’” he added of how he usually prefaces the conversation before a new role. “She says, ‘Does this mean you’re going to have to grow facial hair again?’ And I say, ‘First of all, calm down. Secondly, it will be painted white every day so there’s advantages to this.’”

Hanks Used to Cash Unemployment Checks Where Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., a Restaurant Based Off His Own Film, Is Now Located

“Can I just point out something?,” Hanks abruptly said during his interview. "This is so surreal. See that Bubba Gump Shrimp Company right back there? That used to be my bank where I cashed unemployment checks. If you had told me in 1977 where I’m trying to cash $47 in a check from somebody who doesn’t want to give me the cash -- I wish I could have said, ‘Hey, this is going to be restaurant based on my movie,’ for crying out loud. C’mon everybody, let’s go get appetizers on me. I’ll meet you over there.”

The entire interview wasn’t completely derailed, however. Hanks, 60, did credit the film “Sully” as helping reaffirm a “larger philosophical” thing that’s supposed to happen when Americans fly.

“I think it takes a look at the social contract with have with our institutions,” he explained. “There is a thing that’s supposed to happen when you go to the airport and have a ticket and you get on the plane and you fly from LaGuardia to Charleston, South Carolina. The worst thing that is supposed to happen is they lose your suitcase or you spill coffee on your lap.

“You’re supposed to have faith in a guy and a crew, men and women who say, ‘Sit back, and we’ll get you there without any problems.’ Problems came up, but they still got there in some form or another,” he added of the real-life heroes that saved more than 155 lives on the Hudson River in 2009. “And I think that’s always a good American lesson, somehow. You can always have faith in our institutions.”

The most amazing thing about the movie and what Captain Sullenberger did “is what was avoided,” Hanks said.. “New York City and America did not need to see another wrecked plane.”