Tom Hanks is to narrate a new documentary series about World War II.
The series, titled WWII with Tom Hanks will run for 20 episodes, featuring newly uncovered archival material, and contributions from several leading historians. It will premiere on Sky History on May 26.
In a new clip which was shared exclusively to the Press Association, Tom Hanks, has said it is difficult to imagine how people were "held in stasis for an undefined amount of time" during WWII.
The Hollywood actor has said that it easy to forget that people who lived through this major world event had no idea how long it would last at the time, saying they "talked about it from a life that was held in stasis for an undefined amount of time".
He continued: "We can now all look back and say, of course, we know when the war began".
"We know when it ended. If you were not there, if you were actually alive during those years, from 1939 and really, from 1936 until 1946 they had no idea when the war was going to end", he added. "In fact, many of them just assumed it would go on for the next 10 or 15 years, which was a real possibility".
Elsewhere, Tony Hanks spoke about how the war effected people's everyday lives.
"The war – those years that my dad and my teacher and my dad’s friends and my friends’ dads and parents talked about was part and parcel to daily life".
"There were television shows, there were documentaries, there were movies, there was music that was still there.
"It was all about the war. Everybody you saw on TV that was an established performer had a history and a participation during those years", he added. "And sometimes it was just about being alive – being an eight-year-old kid when the war was going on".
"Certainly for others, it was about being on the front or in the services, in uniform".
The actor said that "during my formative years, every single adult in my life would make references to two words: The War".
He added: "The lasting effects of WWII on the world and my own family were not lost on me. I am thrilled to partner with Sky History/The History Channel to produce this all-encompassing series in its entirety".
Tom Hanks is renowned for starring in films like Philadelphia, Sleepless In Seattle, You've Got Mail, Forrest Gump and Saving Private Ryan.
Back in 2023, Tom Hanks' wife Rita Wilson revealed that he turned down an offer to play the starring role in 1989 romcom 'When Harry Met Sally'. More on this from Nova here.
