‘He is adorable as Fred!’ Mr. Rogers’ widow praises Tom Hanks’ ‘wonderful’ performance as her late husband in ‘fabulous’ new biopic – which she says is ‘very needed right now’
- Joanne Rogers was married to Fred Rogers for 51 years before his death in 2003
- She complimented the new movie A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
- The 91-year-old particularly enjoyed actor Tom Hanks playing her husband for the film, which is centered on the television star’s career
- ‘One of the most wonderful things about this film is that Tom Hanks is playing Fred Rogers,’ she told People
- The movie premiered on Friday and already has rave reviews from viewers
Mr. Roger’s widow, Joanne Rogers, has given the movie about her late husband her stamp of approval, saying actor Tom Hanks looks ‘adorable’ as the television star.
When speaking to People, the 91-year-old expressed her excitement for the film about Rogers titled A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, specifically because Hanks was picked to play him.
‘One of the most wonderful things about this film is that Tom Hanks is playing Fred Rogers. Fred Rogers was a huge fan of Tom Hanks,’ Joanne told the publication, adding: ‘He looks adorable as Fred.’
Love: Joanne Rogers (pictured in July) was married to Fred Rogers for 51 years before his death in 2003 at the age of 74
Proud: She complimented the new movie A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood about Rogers from when he was on Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood
High praise: Actor Tom Hanks, in particular, was complimented by Joanne for his portrayal of her husband, which she said Frank would’ve loved
Joanne, a pianist, was married to Rogers for 51 years before he died in 2003 died of stomach cancer at the age of 74.
After watching the film, she said it was a ‘fabulous tribute to Fred.’
‘I think he would like this very much,’ Joanne added. ‘There’s a wonderful energy there. It’s a very needful film right now.’
The biographical movie follows journalist Lloyd Vogel, played by Matthew Rhys, when he accepts the opportunity to write a profile about Rogers for Esquire when the television star was on Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.
For Joanne, she hopes the film will be something positive for people to view.
‘I hope it makes everybody feel good,’ she said.
The movie is now out in theaters and already received rave reviews from critics and attendees, with a 96 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Just last year a documentary about the television star titled Won’t You Be My Neighbor? released and also did well with the public.
Throwback: ‘I think he would like this very much,’ Joanne said (pictured with her husband) about the film. ‘There’s a wonderful energy there. It’s a very needful film right now’
Popular: The movie is now out in theaters and already received rave reviews from critics and attendees, with a 96 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes
Earlier this week it was discovered Hanks might be related to Rogers through a distant relative.
Hanks was on the red carpet for the premiere of the film when Access Hollywood explained what they discovered through Ancestry.com. According to the publication, the famous entertainers share a distant relative in Johannes Meffert, who was born in 1732, and are actually sixth cousins.
The news was told to Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson. And both appeared stunned by the revelation.
‘No, impossible. No, you’re pulling our leg,’ Wilson said at the time.
Hanks added: ‘I would like to see if Johnny Depp is related to Fred Rogers.’
But Joanne appeared over the moon by the news when it was also shared with her during the premiere of the movie.
‘That is just wonderful! Now that is amazing, and Fred would have loved it. He loved family tree stuff,’ she said.