Tom Hanks turns 70: time catches up with everyone

Tom Hanks turns 70 and nobody saw the exact moment he grew old

Tom Hanks turns 70. The news, which in any other case would have passed as just another anniversary, has made many realize that the actor who starred in Forrest Gump is no longer that young man with a look of wonder on his face. Time spares no one, least of all a figure who has been present in the lives of several generations. The widespread reaction has been the same: it feels like yesterday.

The fact is stubborn: 70 years old. And the reflection it has generated is almost unanimous: life goes by so fast that one day you're young and the next you're 50. The news is not just that Hanks is having a birthday, but that his aging peine without us barely noticing.

The actor who grew old without us seeing it

There is an almost sociological explanation for the feeling that Tom Hanks has aged overnight. We don't see him every day. He only shows up now and then in a Google photo, on a red carpet or in a trailer. If we lived with him, we would have watched him wrinkle little by little, as happens with our own relatives. But since that's not the case, the jump feels abrupt. How simple we are, the argument goes: we are surprised by what we haven't seen happen.

Hanks's career is a case study. He started on television, in an episode of The Love Boat when he was 24 years old, back in 1980. Since then, a string of roles made him Hollywood's go-to actor for decades. Forrest Gump, Philadelphia, Saving Private Ryan, Cast Away. The list is long and the acclaim, nearly unanimous.

From Forrest Gump to 70: a life in one career

The conversation about Hanks has drifted toward something more uncomfortable. Death has entered the equation, as it always does when age comes up. Some have said that if he died now, nothing would happen, and it would be one less problem. It's the kind of comment usually made in a whisper, but here it has been said without a filter. Death, in the end, is the only certain destination.

Others have gone further and focused on the sad side. Dying worn out is the sad part, they argue, and being born is sadder than never having existed. It's a twist on the cliché that the saddest thing is to be born. The animal code blinds us, they say, and keeps us from seeing that the problem is not death, but life itself.

The dark side of the story: criticism and controversy

It hasn't all been nostalgia. Tom Hanks has also faced criticism. Overrated as an actor, says one critic, who claims he wears the same face in every single one of his movies. It's a minority but recurring opinion: that Hanks is more of an icon than a versatile performer.

And then there is the shadow that haunts many Hollywood stars: pedophilia. One comment claimed Hanks will die of old age before being convicted as a pedophile. It is a baseless accusation thrown into the air, without evidence, and it should be treated with caution. There is no conviction, not even a known charge. It's the kind of rumor that circulates on forums and should not be confused with reality.

What the fact says: 70 years and an unrepeatable career

Beyond the controversies, the fact remains that Tom Hanks turns 70. A full 70. A number that invites us to revisit his filmography and ask how much is left of the actor who made us laugh and cry. The answer, probably, is everything and nothing. Everything, because his movies are still there. Nothing, because time does not stand still.

The anniversary has served, above all, to talk about ourselves. About how we perceive the passage of time, how the aging of others surprises us, how death lurks. Life goes by so fast, sums up the general feeling. And it's true. One day you're young and the next you're 50. Or 70.

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Key facts

• Tom Hanks turns 70.
• He appeared in an episode of The Love Boat in 1980, at age 24.
• He starred in Forrest Gump, among many other films.

What's being debated

Some argue Hanks is overrated as an actor. Against that stands his long career and widespread acclaim. Others criticize his aging as something sudden, when in reality it's just that we don't see him every day. And some have made baseless accusations against him, which should not be taken as facts.

Conclusion

Tom Hanks turns 70. Beyond the anniversary, the news invites reflection on the passage of time and on how we perceive the aging of people we don't see every day. Life goes by fast. One day you're young and the next you're 50. Or 70.