Tom Hanks reacts to daughter E.A. Hanks’ memoir on childhood abuse: “She’s a knockout, always has been.”

Hollywood icon responds to daughter’s explosive book detailing childhood trauma and life with mother Samantha Lewes.

Sneha Kashyap 2 weeks agoLast Updated: June 9, 2025

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Reviewed & Published by HH Entertaintment Desk

Hollywood’s clean-cut image of Tom Hanks just got a real-life plot twist — this time, courtesy of his daughter E.A. Hanks’ explosive memoir. Titled The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road, the book dives deep into the dark and difficult childhood E.A. endured, growing up under the care of her mother, the late Samantha Lewes.

At the recent red carpet premiere of his thriller film The Phoenician Scheme, Hanks addressed the revelations with the composure of a man who’s lived through life’s messier chapters. Speaking to People magazine, the Oscar-winning actor said, “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.”

A family story far from Hollywood-perfect

The memoir recounts the troubled years following Tom Hanks and Samantha Lewes’ divorce in 1985. While Hanks went on to build his career — and later his life with actress Rita Wilson — their daughter E.A. Hanks, full name Elizabeth Anne Hanks, stayed with her mother in what she describes as an increasingly volatile environment.

From the ages of 5 to 14, E.A. recalls a home filled with “confusion, violence, deprivation, and love.” She doesn’t mince words when detailing her lived experience, writing about a house that “stank of smoke,” a refrigerator often “bare or full of expired food,” and her mother “spending more and more time in her big four-poster bed, poring over the Bible.”

According to excerpts shared by People magazine, the turning point came when emotional neglect morphed into physical violence. E.A. writes, “One night, her emotional violence became physical violence, and in the aftermath, I moved to Los Angeles, right smack in the middle of the seventh grade.”

Hanks’ take: compassionate, but clear-eyed

At 68, Tom Hanks seems to understand the complexity of the situation. Speaking about E.A.’s decision to confront her past through writing, he said, “We all come from checkered, cracked lives, all of us.” In a poignant reflection only a parent could offer, he added, “If you’ve had kids, you realise that you see who they are when they’re about six weeks old. She’s a knockout, always has been.”

While Hanks did not go into detail about his ex-wife’s alleged actions, his comments suggested a man walking the tightrope between respect for his daughter’s truth and the complicated legacy of a woman he once loved.

Spotlight on Samantha Lewes: a fading star behind closed doors

Samantha Lewes, born Susan Dillingham, was once an actress herself — a face from early 1980s TV with roles in Bosom Buddies and Mr. Success. But as per E.A.’s memoir, her later years were marked by mental health struggles and increasing isolation. E.A. suspects that her mother suffered from undiagnosed bipolar disorder, pointing to signs of paranoia and delusion. “My mother claimed to be dying during a phone call in my senior year of high school,” she writes — though no formal diagnosis or health condition was ever confirmed.

The emotional gravity of these recollections paints a far more layered image of a woman often forgotten in Tom Hanks’ star-powered narrative. Lewes passed away in 2002 from bone cancer, a chapter Hanks has occasionally spoken about in the past with visible emotion.

Weekend dad, full-time presence?

After the divorce, Tom Hanks had visitation rights — weekends and summers — while Lewes retained primary custody. Though E.A. moved in with Hanks after the aforementioned violent episode, those earlier years clearly left a mark. Her memoir hints at a longing for safety, structure, and affection — things she began to find in her father’s household, which now included his second wife Rita Wilson and two younger half-brothers.

E.A. Hanks has since built a name for herself — not as a legacy kid or star daughter, but as a writer and journalist. Her previous bylines include The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and Time. But this memoir, according to her, is different. It’s not just about telling her story — it’s about reckoning with it.

A gripping film release amid personal revelations

Even as his daughter’s memoir dominates headlines, Tom Hanks is deep into promo for his new film, The Phoenician Scheme. In this corporate thriller, Hanks plays Leland, a morally grey business associate caught in a world of betrayal and high-stakes deals. The film, which also stars Benicio Del Toro, Scarlett Johansson, Willem Dafoe, and Michael Cera, released in select theatres on May 30 and will go wide on June 6.

With a plot thick with vendettas and deceit, The Phoenician Scheme might seem eerily in sync with the personal upheaval currently surrounding the actor — but the real drama, as always, lies off-screen.

What this means in the age of memoirs and reckoning

E.A. Hanks’ book is arriving in a cultural moment where public figures are increasingly unpacking personal histories — not for sympathy, but for clarity. From Prince Harry to Jada Pinkett Smith, memoirs are no longer just tell-alls; they’re acts of emotional archeology.

And in this spirit, Tom Hanks’ response — measured, warm, and free of defensiveness — feels like the reaction of a father who understands that healing sometimes comes from painful truth. It’s a reminder that even in Hollywood’s most picture-perfect families, the untold stories often linger longest.

The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road by E.A. Hanks is available now.

Source: This report is based on information from ANI News and People magazine, published on June 5, 2025.

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Author Profile

Sneha Kashyap

Reporting Fellow at Hindustan Herald

Sneha Kashyap is a Reporting Fellow at Hindustan Herald, specializing in the vibrant world of entertainment and contemporary lifestyle trends. A student at GGSIPU, Delhi, Sneha brings a fresh perspective and a keen eye for cultural narratives to her daily reporting. She is dedicated to exploring the latest in film, music, fashion, and social phenomena, offering readers insightful and engaging content.