Tom Hanks prompts laughs as he tells Harvard grads to 'resist indifference' trends now
Beloved actor Tom Hanks earned laughs as he delivered the Harvard University commencement speech Thursday, days after a bizarre episode on a Cannes red carpet in which he flashed a terse look at a festival worker.
Hanks, who received an honorary doctor of arts degree from the institution, instructed the graduate to be staunch defenders of truth and American ideals, and to avoid indifference and those who manipulate the truth for their own gain.
'The truth to some is no longer empirical. It’s no longer based on data, nor common sense, nor even common decency,' said the two-time Oscar winner, adding a riff about Harvard's motto 'Veritas,' which is the Latin word for truth.
'Telling the truth is no longer the benchmark for public service. It’s no longer the salve to our fears, or the guide to our actions. Truth is now considered malleable, by opinion and by zero-sum endgames,' he continued.
The mood was much lighter Thursday than days earlier when an angry Hanks got into a disagreement with a staff member, pointing and looking stern while on the red carpet.
Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson speak with a staff member as they arrive for the screening of the film 'Asteroid City' during the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes
Hanks was in a much better mood Thursday when he addressed Harvard University graduates and told them to resist indifference
Hanks told the more than 9,000 graduates that they have a choice to make: 'It’s the same option for all grownups who have to decide to be one of three types of Americans: Those who embrace liberty and freedom
