Tom Hanks expresses his true feelings on his daughter E.A. Hanks’ novel, The 10: A Novel of Family and the Open Road, and the allegations that her mother, actress Samantha Lewes, was emotionally and physically abu.sive. The Forrest Gump star, 68, discussed the abuse accusations in E.A.’s book, which was released on April 8, during an interview with Access Hollywood on Wednesday, May 26, at the red carpet presentation of his new film, The Phoenician Scheme.
“I’m not surprised that my daughter had the wherewithal as well as the curiosity to examine this thing that I think she was incredibly honest about,” Hanks explained to the news organization. “We all come from checkered, cracked lives, all of us.”
“She has always been exceptional,” he continued. “If you’ve had kids, you realize that you see who they are when they’re about 6 weeks old.”
In her memoir, E.A., whose true name is Elizabeth Anne, describes the “emotional violence” and “physical violence” she endured from her mother, Susan Dillingham, after her parents’ divorce. Hanks and Dillingham married in January 1978, and their divorce was completed in 1987. Dillingham was granted primary custody, and the children had scheduled weekend and summer visits with Hanks.
“I would visit my father and stepmother (and, eventually, my younger half brothers) on weekends and summers, but from the ages of five to fourteen, my years were filled with confusion, violence, deprivation, and love,” E.A., 43, wrote in an extract previously acquired by PEOPLE.
She said, “As the years passed, the backyard got so full of dog s— that you couldn’t walk around it, and the house stank of smoking. The fridge was frequently empty or full of outdated food, and my mother spent an increasing amount of time in her enormous four-poster bed, reading over the Bible.
E.A. said that she went to Los Angeles as her mother’s alleged abuse worsened.
“One night, her emotional abuse escalated into physical violence, and I relocated to Los Angeles in the midst of seventh grade. My parenting arrangement practically changed; now I reside in Los Angeles and visit Sacramento on weekends and throughout the summer.”
She stated that during her final year of high school, her mother called to inform her that she was dying. E.A. believes Dillingham suffered from bipolar disorder, which included moments of acute paranoia and hallucinations, despite her mother never receiving a diagnosis.
Hanks’ most recent film, The Phoenician Scheme, follows wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda (played by Benicio Del Toro), who “appoints his only daughter, a nun, as sole heir to his estate.” As Korda starts on a new venture, they quickly become the target of deceitful tycoons, international terrorists, and determined assassins,” according to IMDb. Hanks portrays Korda’s business colleague, Leland. The film also stars Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Willem Dafoe, Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, and others.
It premiered in a limited number of cinemas on May 30 and will be distributed widely on June 6.