Filming a movie or TV show is one thing, but taking the Broadway stage is quite another — no reshoots, no edits and a live audience.
By the time Tom Hanks made his Broadway debut he had already won two Oscars, but he was still slightly worried about the audience’s reaction to his stage performance in the Nora Ephron play Lucky Guy.
“I’m not afraid of the end result because I think we’ll have a very good production,” he told The New York Times in 2013. “But I am afraid of blowing it myself. I’m afraid of having something being my responsibility, yet not having the wherewithal or lack of self-consciousness or stamina to pull it off. Look, I have just as impressive a track record of movies and projects that didn’t work out.”
Unsurprisingly, he didn’t blow it, and in fact received a Tony nomination for Best Actor in a Play. He lost to Tracy Letts, but he did win a Theatre World Award, which recognizes actors for debut performances on Broadway.
Keep scrolling for a look back at more stars who’ve appeared on Broadway:
