Tom Hanks introduced Denzel Washington as the recipient of the 2016 Cecil B. DeMille award with more eloquence and grace imaginable — for anyone but Tom friggin’ Hanks. It helps that he’s one of the few men who could stand up to Washington in a battle of heavyweight acting skills. It’s not an easy thing to bestow a prestigious award to a man of Denzel’s stature. Think about it — King Kong ain’t got sh*t on him. (And King Kong was a major movie star.)
But what no one could see coming was Hanks doing Denzel. That’s right, when Tom Hanks performed his best Denzel impression, it pleased Mr. Washington. Oh yes, it pleased him.
It tickled him and he laughed forever and ever…
…And ever.
Denzel laughing to Tom Hanks repeatedly forever for @sundownmotel https://t.co/o1qzkbdloL
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) January 11, 2016
Denzel’s Washington’s pure, unadulterated joy at Tom Hanks’ impression of the man he looks at in the mirror every day brought him the brightest of smiles. It was a joyous occasion that will likely become a meme that has various meanings and interpretations depending on the context of the situation it’s used in.
There’s an acronym/saying: WWTHD? What would Tom Hanks do? In this case, he would turn the world’s badass into one happy guy.