E.A. Hanks, daughter of actor Tom Hanks, reveals a turbulent childhood marked by parental separation and a mother’s struggles wiht addiction and mental health in a new memoir, The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road. The story, recently featured on BBC audio’s Outlook, details a life split between Sacramento and the world of Hollywood film sets.
Hanks, also known as Elizabeth, describes a childhood feeling like “living on two different planets” following her parents’ divorce. she and her brother, Colin, primarily resided in Sacramento with their mother, who achieved sobriety after battling alcohol and drug addiction but continued to experience paranoia and abusive behavior. Weekends and holidays were often spent with their father, frequently on location during his film shoots. At age 14, Hanks moved to Los Angeles after her father gained custody. A subsequent discovery made while reading her mother’s journals after her death profoundly impacted her.
The BBC Outlook program featured clips from her father’s films Forrest Gump and Sleepless in Seattle. The program was presented by Jo Fidgen and produced by Helen Fitzhenry and June Christie. Listeners can get in touch with the program at outlook@bbc.com or via WhatsApp at +44 330 678 2707. A photograph of Tom Hanks and Elizabeth Hanks from 2017, credited to Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images, accompanied the report.
