4. Big
While Philadelphia was undeniably a huge moment in Tom Hanks’ career, it was arguably Big which changed everything for the actor. By the late ’80s, the body swap genre was already nearing the point of becoming overused, but the latest and greatest was without a doubt the movie which would see Hanks playing a teenager in the body of a 30 year old man. As you might expect, his character gets a lot more than he bargained for, resulting in what many still consider to be Hanks’ most entertaining movie.
The actor managed to do something truly special with the role (it’s not hard to imagine that Big would be a footnote on the résumé of most actors), but Hanks’ ability to embody all the traits you might expect to see from a teenager in an adult’s body would actually see him receive his first Academy Award nomination for the performance. By closely studying David Moscow’s mannerisms, Hanks accurately portrayed someone of that age in his adult body, while still being uproariously funny!
