Tom Hanks Latest Hollywood A-Lister To Lap Up U.K. Soccer Game
19.02.2023 - 00:57
/ deadline.com
Fans at Villa Park, home of the mid-table Premier League side Aston Villa, were joined in the stands Saturday afternoon by the two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks as their team took on North London outfit Arsenal FC.
Cameras captured Hanks’ reactions as the afternoon game turned into a six-goal thriller.
Forget Saving Private Ryan, Green Mile, League of their Own, this might be Tom Hanks greatest and most Demanding role: Proper Villa Fan. pic.twitter.com/GcUiu3kxvi
The Forrest Gump star is the latest Hollywood star to pop up at an English soccer game in recent months. Earlier this week, Do The Right Thing filmmaker Spike Lee cheered on Arsenal against Premier League title favorites Manchester City.
Lee and Hanks could be described as historic Hollywood soccer fans. The two Oscar winners have been vocal about their love for the beautiful game in the past, with Hanks even donning the claret and blue of Aston Villa on the red carpet for the London premiere of Charlie Wilson’s War in 2008.
However, soccer fever appears to be spreading.
Elf and Anchorman star Will Ferrell was recently pictured alongside Premier League stars such as Jack Grealish and Mo Salah as he toured the UK, making appearances at soccer games in Manchester, Liverpool, and London. The Step Brothers actor, who is a co-owner of the MLS side LAFC, was also pictured sharing a drink with fans near Racecourse Ground, the home of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s national league side Wrexham AFC.
Reynolds and McElhenney’s purchase of the Welsh club is perhaps the largest Hollywood intervention in the sport to date.
The pair completed their takeover of Wrexham in February 2021, acquiring the club for $2.5 million. Since then, actor, producer, and director Michael