He learns to create fire, and fend for himself on a desert island for Cast Away, but Tom Hank's next challenge could be coming up with a unique acceptance speech if he succeeds in claiming his third Best Actor Oscar at the Academy Awards. The award show vet has already won the Golden Globe for Cast Away , where he plays a FedEx employee left stranded on a desert island after a plane crash. Hanks was also named best actor by the New York Film Critics for the role. For the Oscar, he' s in a category packed with diverse performances. There's Gladiator 's Russell Crowe, Ed Harris for Pollock , Geoffrey Rush who plays the Marquis de Sade in Quills and Javier Bardem as Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas in Before Night Falls.
Hanks brings one particular good luck charm to the event.
For Cast Away he was directed by Robert Zemeckis, a pairing that last resulted in Oscar gold for Hanks in Forrest Gump. Struggling With Solitude Hanks's stint at island living brought both physical and mental challenges. He told Good Morning America' s Diane Sawyer that the film is ultimately about isolation. It's about a different brand of loneliness that is very different from being home on a Saturday night with nothing to do. He's completely removed from any of the distractions that fill up our lives.