The actor told the surprising story while appearing on ‘The Graham Norton Show’ alongside the music icon, as well as Julia Roberts and Timothée Chalamet
Tom Hanks is reminiscing about his youthful brush with a music legend.
On Friday, the actor, 67, appeared on The Graham Norton Show alongsideCher andfellow actors Julia Roberts and Timothée Chalamet, and regaled the audience with a story from his days working at a hotel in the 1970s.
“I have worked for Cher. I was a bellman at the Oakland Hilton Hotel,” he began, prompting a surprised “No!” from the “If I Could Turn Back Time” singer, 77.
“You were with one of your rock-and-roll husbands, and we had your bag. And then word came down, ‘Hey, run this up to Cher’s room,’ so I did,” Hanks continued. “I knocked on the door and I put it down and you came out and said, ‘Yeah, that’s it. Thanks, kid.’ And that was it.”
“So I have worked for Cher,” he added, surmising that their brief interaction occurred sometime in 1975 or 1976.
At that time, Cher was in a much-publicized relationship with Allman Brothers Band frontman Gregg Allman, whom she married in June 1975.
During the stars’ talk show appearance, Hanks had high praise for Cher, who admitted during the conversation that she isn’t “a big Cher fan” herself and doesn’t like to watch her own films or listen to her own music. “You’re missing out,” the Elvis star told her.
“Motion picture perfection — Mamma Mia! 2,” he raved of the 2018 film in which Cher played the role of Ruby Sheridan. “When she busts out ‘Fernando,’ the world stops. Suns clash with the stars. It’s perfection!”
Chalamet, 27, and Roberts, 56, then chimed in by sharing their favorite Cher films — Moonstruck and Silkwood — prompting Hanks to suggest a group outing to the cinema. “I think we should all go to the theater and watch Cher’s movies right now,” he said.
“Let’s have a Cher-a-thon!” Roberts enthusiastically declared.
Backstage at the show, Hanks, Cher and Roberts posed for a series of fun photos together, according to a video shared on Roberts’ stylist Elizabeth Stewart’s Instagram page. In one image, the trio stood with their arms encircling each other as they smiled for the camera.
Hanks’ recounting of his stint as a bellhop back in the day comes after he recently declared that he would take on food service work if it would snag him a seat on a future lunar mission.
“I would like to be the guy in charge of serving food and making jokes to and from the moon,” Hanks told The Telegraph in September while promoting his new immersive exhibition, The Moonwalkers, in London.
“If there was room, I would be the guy that cleans up, makes jokes, tells stories and keeps everybody entertained.”
“I’m your man. I would probably sign up right now!” Hanks continued. “That might be a good idea, I’ll do all the work. I’ll clean the toilet. I’ll serve the food. I’ll fold clothes. I’ll stow the gear. That way the others could be free to do other stuff.”