BWW Blog: I Sent Tom Hanks a Letter in a Bottle and Here's What Happened

It's been my knowledge for awhile now that Tom Hanks (yes, THE Tom Hanks, you know the one!) owns the movie adaptation rights to my favorite musical of all time. I've had this information stored in the dusty file cabinet in the back of my brain, along with the insane idea of writing to him and asking for him to cast me in said movie, for awhile now. This "file cabinet"* is aptly labeled "things I want to do but don't make the time because I'm scared of what will happen afterwards".

*Also in that file cabinet: singing in the rain. Yes, literally. Not the musical. The actual act of singing while it rains.

Before the world turned upside down (I know you sang that in your head, you Hamilton fan, you), everything for me was go go go, 24/7. My excuse for leaving these ideas untouched was that I "never had the time". Now, as the pandemic progresses, I've been given an unexpected gift: all the time in the world.

Of course, I didn't look into this file cabinet right away. First I had to do the obligatory things that one does when they have the time - finally reading the Harry Potter series, rewatching "The Office" for a third time, finishing small home projects here and there, and of course, learning to stay on a schedule with the new reality that is 2020. (Can't say I've mastered that last one quite yet.)

When I finished all those things, the anxiousness really started to kick in. I was still hesitant to embark on any "passion projects" that I had stored away in this file cabinet. Why couldn't I bring myself to try something that I was so excited about?

I know I'm not the only one who has had little voices in their head say, "What if I tried ----", or "What if I did ----". I realized that my experience was shared with so many people, and it is because we are scared of the outcome.

The fear of a "negative" result is what takes so much joy from our lives. Whether it be the fear of judgment from others (ex. "that sounds crazy", etc) or the fear of the risk not paying off, this is what blocks us from our own happiness. In a world that was falling apart, I needed something that made me excited to take on each day. So, I decided to go for it.

The bottle is a reference to his famous movie Cast Away, shipped via FedEx, of course. I also included sand and shells in the box, and a pocket watch like the one in the movie (except instead of a picture of Helen Hunt, it's a tiny version of my headshot!). I figured, someone so famous must get an overwhelming amount of mail, so I had to do something that would make mine stick out. Back when Tom Hanks was 18, he wrote a letter** to director George Roy Hill, asking to be "discovered". Of course, I had to reference that in my own attempt. Hanks also wrote to this director a crazy amount of times, so I sent twenty of the same letter to different destinations in hope one would make it to him (He's a hard man to get a hold of!). A little excessive? Yes. Maybe, more like, a lot excessive? Also yes. But honestly, who cares?! Anyway, the letter in a bottle was letter 21 out of 20. It was so exciting to drop it off and watch the journey to the destination - straight to his production company, Playtone.

So, I sent Tom Hanks a letter in a bottle.

And finally, the moment you've all been waiting for.

Here's what happened. (Drumroll, please!)

...

...

...

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Well, nothing in the LITERAL sense.

I'm sure the headline of this blog made you think I'd be telling you how this project was a complete success, and how I start Monday. Nope.

Something even better! (Cue dramatic and excited gasp from the peanut gallery).

My intended result didn't happen. I didn't get a response. But here's what I did get - a new way of seeing things.

The result DOES NOT matter.

Yep, you read that right!

So many of us hope for success every time we try something new, seeking validation from outside sources. Here's the thing - of course, there's joy that comes from achieving your goal - but, the joy in the process, not the product, is what is most profound. When you find joy in the process, the end result will never, ever matter.

Back when I first had this idea to write to Mr. Hanks, I wasn't ready for it. That's why it's been tucked away for so long. Had I done it then, I would have been more miserable each day because the result did not come immediately. The idea of making the "perfect" letter would cause massive anxiety and stress.

Each step in the process of the project brought me joy and increasing excitement. The planning, the outlining, the researching, and the execution. I knew that I put my best effort in this project because of the simple fact that it made me excited to get up each day.

With time, I've learned that the way you see your art is the way it will make you feel. And, in result, you can share that feeling with others, too. Life itself is hard enough as it is. Don't give yourself standards that make it harder when you just don't have to.

While I haven't heard back from Mr. Hanks, I still get up each day, happy with the work I've done, and the new joy of checking the mailbox without expectations and with a whole lot of hope. So far it's been "maybe tomorrow", but each day can bring something new, and the unexpected is what I look forward to.

I propose we take the time now to pursue our passion projects. Not because we want a specific outcome, but because we are simply happy with the art we create and seeing our ideas come to life. The art we create matters to us. When something matters to you, it will always matter to someone else, too.

Here's to choosing not to "bottle up" hope and passion as the year goes on, and for the rest of time. Mr. Hanks, if you're reading this, I am excited to hear back from you someday. Until then... I have some singin' in the rain to do!

**(You can read Hanks' letter here!)