Tom Hanks’ gentle persona never fails to bring a smile to those he meets. Last Thursday, May 18, 2023, he visited Type Space in Southeast Portland, Oregon. The vintage typewriter store owner, Antony Valoppi, discussed the events of this comedian’s visit with Austin De Dios for The Oregonian.
While Valoppi was preparing to close the store, an email arrived from Hanks’ manager. The email let the store owner know that the Oscar Award winner would like to stop by the store. In response, Valoppi offered to close the shop, give the star a private viewing, or whatever they wanted. But the manager said, “He’s so much easier than that; don’t even worry about it.”
Nonetheless, Valoppi did worry. As a result, he did not sleep until the early morning on Thursday. He told De Dios that he knew about the multi-faceted writer’s typewriter passion. So he figured Hanks was in town to promote his new novel.
Hanks was easygoing, as his manager indicated.
Valoppi said the comedian and security team arrived at about 1 pm PT. However, “Tom didn’t even wait. He just popped out of the side of the car, right up to the sidewalk with his hand out, and says, ‘Hey Tony. I’m Tom,'” Valoppi said. “Like I wouldn’t know who he was.”
Instead of talking about Hollywood and acting, the pair spoke about their shared passion — typewriters. Hanks shared that his “collection of typewriters stands about 200 strong.” Moreover, he told Valoppi that he uses every one of them.
They spent about an hour talking and looking over Type Space’s inventory. Hanks passed on some of the rarest items. Instead, he left with a more practical typewriter, a Smith Corona Clipper. Additionally, Valoppi gifted the actor with a gold watch from his collection.
Finally, Valoppi explained that he had met celebrities before, and Hanks does not exude ego. He lived up to this reputation of being one of the nicest in Hollywood. “Rather than meeting Tom, I just met a really great guy.” The star promised to send an autographed typewriter to Valoppi.
Tom Hanks: Starring as The Author
Later that evening, Hanks appeared at Portland’s Keller Auditorium as part of the tour to promote his novel, “The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece.”
Earlier this month, Hanks appeared on “CBS Mornings” to discuss his book, among other things. Watch the video here.
Best-selling author Matt Haig declared Hanks’ novel was “wild, ambitious, and exceptionally enjoyable.
“The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece” is a New York Times Best Seller. It is “a novel about making a star-studded, multimillion-dollar superhero action film…and the humble comic books that inspired it. [It is] funny, touching, and wonderfully thought-provoking while also capturing the changes in America and American culture since World War II.”
Written by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
The Oregonian: Why this Oscar-winning actor visited a SE Portland typewriter shop; by Austin De Dios
Thrift Books: The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece by Tom Hanks
The Oregonian: Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall air conditioning failure forces Oregon Symphony, Tom Hanks events to move; by Kristi Turnquist
Featured and Top Image by Dick Thomas Johnson Courtesy of Flickr – Creative Commons License
Inset Image by Gentlemanbeggar Courtesy of Flickr – Creative Commons License
