Tom Hanks Reflects on Helping Cher During His Time as a Hotel Bellhop Prior to Stardom
Tom Hanks, the renowned actor, reminisces about his humble beginnings as a hotel bellhop, revealing an intriguing encounter with the iconic Cher during his pre-fame days Don't miss this captivating tale!
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Tom Hanks has a lot of love for Cher — and it all started when he worked for her as a bellhop.
During the Friday, December 1 episode of The Graham Norton Show, Hanks, 67, surprised his fellow guests Cher, Julia Roberts, and Timothée Chalamet by revealing that he had previously worked as a bellman at the Oakland Hilton Hotel, including a stint serving Cher herself. Their shocked reactions were evident as Cher exclaimed "No!" in disbelief.
"We heard that you were with one of your rock and roll husbands and that we had your bag. Then the word came down to 'take this up to Cher's room,' so I did," Hanks recounted. "I knocked on the door, placed it down, and you came out and said, 'Yeah, that's it. Thanks, kid.' And that was the end of it."
Cher couldn't remember the encounter, but Hanks believed it happened in 1975 or 1976. At the time, Cher was married to the late rockstar Gregg Allman. (They were married from 1975 to 1978.)
In a later part of the episode, Hanks expressed his continued admiration for Cher and her vast body of work. Cher, on the other hand, joked about not being a big fan of herself like Hanks, saying she doesn't enjoy watching her own movies or listening to her own music.
To this, Hanks playfully responded, "You don't know what you're missing. A flawless performance in Mamma Mia! 2... When she sings 'Fernando,' it's pure magic. It's perfection!"
Chalamet, 26, and Roberts then shared their favorite Cher movies — Moonstruck and Silkwood, respectively.
“I believe we should all go to the theater and watch Cher’s movies immediately,” Hanks suggested, prompting Roberts to affectionately call it a "Cher-a-thon."
After the show, Roberts, Hanks, and Cher took backstage selfies. A video posted by Roberts’ stylist Elizabeth Stewart on Instagram captured Cher photobombing Roberts and then giving her a hug as they posed for the camera. Hanks later joined them for more pictures. Stewart captioned the video, “IT’S CHER!!!!! And @tomhanks and @tchalamet and @cher and @juliaroberts and @cher!”
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Chalamet didn’t pause for photos with the trio, but he did express his excitement about spending time with the Hollywood legends during his interview.
"This entire talk show experience has been unreal," the Wonka star revealed. "I can't believe it. Tom is discussing gravity, and here I am with Cher and Julia Roberts."
