There are very few men in Hollywood who have a pretty squeaky-clean image, with a reputation for being a genuinely nice guy. One of them is Tom Hanks, who played Mister Rogers, for crying out loud. Hanks has had a long and successful career and is praised for nearly every role he lands. But none of that matters to Connor Ratliff, who was traumatized after being fired from Hanks’ Band Of Brothers set nearly 20 years ago for having “dead eyes.” Finally, Ratliff was able to confront Hanks.
Hanks stopped by Ratliff’s podcast, titled Dead Eyes (yes, he has been holding on to this phrase for two decades) to set the record straight and apologize for firing the actor, who was just beginning his career. Hanks insists he doesn’t remember the event, saying “not a single moment of this rings a bell,” but, Hanks, a stand-up guy, apologized anyway.
“Let me first take full responsibility for doing this to you. This was without a doubt the act of the director, and that was me,” Hanks began, adding that firing Ratliff for his eyes was “one of those very, very subtle sort of decisions that aims the story in the direction you want it to go.” When Hanks heard of the podcast, he was mortified at the idea that he hurt someone that bad, “I was aghast. I was … I actually got chilled. My heart rate skyrocketed and I said, I did … I did what? I did what?”
Hanks continued, trying to explain himself: “In the inner sanctum of whatever this casting session was on Band of Brothers … I’m sure I said, ‘I don’t know man, that guy’s got dead eyes.’ I could’ve said, ‘He’s got too blond of hair; he’s too tall and I can’t have the aide be taller than Captain Winters.” I could’ve said, “He’s too short and slight … I could’ve said any of these things, and they would have been true and they would’ve been the opinion.”
Finally, Hanks said the comment should have never made its way to the actor. “Whoever communicated to you what was said, in the inner sanctum, with such authenticity, should have their kneecaps broken, because that is … That is not allowed. It’s not quotable there. It’s off the record.” When Ratliff showed Hanks his old headshot, he confirmed that his eyes were anything but dead. “These are not dead eyes. Can I just say that right now from this 8×10 black and white.”
Ratliff has gone on to star in a number of successful projects, like Search Party and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. But who knows what he could have accomplished if he had starred in Band Of Brothers. We will literally never know.
