Tom Hanks transforms from “nicest man in Hollywood” to grumpiest man alive in ‘A Man Called Otto’

In the new movie A Man Called Otto, opening Friday in limited release, Tom Hanks plays Otto, described as being the grumpiest man alive. So was he a grump on set?

“No! He was very sweet like he is,” his co-star Mariana Trevino tells ABC Audio. “We confirm his reputation as the nicest man in Hollywood. Totally true. Confirmed. He was really sweet.”

While it may be odd to some that a guy with that reputation would play such a hardened character, director Marc Forster explains, “It’s because you ultimately want to fall in love with him and you don’t want him just to be a dislikable grump.”

“And that’s the beauty about Tom Hanks,” Forster continues. “He is such an incredible actor that he can play grumpy, even though he’s so kind and nice and lovely. And then you fall in love with him.”

Overall, Forster hopes that A Man Called Otto audiences take home a message of kindness towards others.

“Hopefully that they see it’s a life affirming film and that if they have an Otto in their life, maybe it just doesn’t take that much then to knock on the door and bring them some food, and give them some company and open their heart,” he says.

Trevino, who plays one of Hanks’ neighbors, a bubbly woman trying to break through Otto’s concrete-coated exterior, adds, “We are all made of the same substance and we have the same essence. Our capacity to love is what leads us to connect to everyone. And I just think that is a beautiful, not only thought, but a reality. And we should tap into it.”