Your guide to the region's top events, mixed with some commentary about life, media, gossip and politics in Washington, DC.

Tom Hanks Comes to Washington for HBO Series ‘John Adams’

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By Rachel Cothran

Chris Matthews, Kathleen Matthews, and Tom Hanks chat at the HBO screening of "John Adams."

Tom Hanks, Paul Giamatti, and author David McCullough descended on the US Capitol’s stately Statuary Hall last night for the screening of HBO Films’ John Adams. The seven-part miniseries, which debuts March 16, translates McCullough’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book to the small screen.

But enough about the miniseries, which we’re sure is fabulous (we did catch a sneak peak, and it’s beautifully done.) On to the important questions! Was Tom Hanks, the miniseries’s executive producer, shorter in person? He was the height you—or at least I—would expect, maybe a couple inches shy of six feet. Was he nice? Yup. Smart, funny, and relaxed—joking about the uncomfortable banquet-style chairs that had been rented for the screening and knocking his HBO colleagues (“We’re gonna watch a part of episode two, for reasons only the crack executives can understand”) and lead actor Giamatti, who would “be forever monikered as the Italian John Adams.” He made sure to sign autographs and greet as many well-wishers as he could ... and there were quite a few, including Chris and Kathleen Matthews, Senator Christopher Dodd, and Congressmen Tom Davis, Mike McIntyre, and Rush Holt.

All photos by Rachel Cothran.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi welcomed the Hollywood imports and paid homage not just to the country’s second president but also to his beloved wife, Abigail, saying, “If Abigail’d had it her way, she could have become Speaker.”

Politics was in the air and on the tongues of inquiring journalists. Hanks made it clear that he’d like to see Barack Obama follow in Adams’s footsteps (Adams was the first President to live in the White House), while Giamatti remained mum. Are there any similarities between Adams and George Bush? “Well, they both lived in The White House,” Hanks said. “They’re both married. They both have kids.”

Perhaps screenwriter Kirk Ellis, who called Adams “the most complex character I’ve ever written,” spelled the sentiment out for them both. When asked about his favorite episode in the series (number 6), Ellis said with a pointed look, “Despite the pressure to go to war with France, Adams staked his entire presidency on keeping us out of war.”

The miniseries debuts with the first two installments on Sunday, March 16, from 8 to 10:45 PM, with other episodes airing on subsequent Sundays at 9 PM through April 20.

Comments

i lived most my life in new england and walked the historic streets of many towns and villages and felt the
energy of the colonials’ toil and sacrific for our freedoms .

thank you all for bringing to the whole nation what it was
like for the founding fathers -- as always we as a country
have an obligation to debate the causes and live with the consequences of our decisions political and otherwise--we must always remember that we are the founders of
the government that we have elected and we are able to change what needs to be changed ---thanks to the political science -the concepts -the input of every citizen
of our democracy-----
I also enjoyed the theater of the series-- the costumes,scenery, dialogue, and flow of ideas and events---attention to detail-----
finally-the love between John and Abigail and their friendship and their sharing of ideas and hopes and
ambitions---- wonderfully done HBO----

Posted by: diane o'connor, Apr 01, 2008 08:22:08 PM

It was a real pleasure to talk to everyone there, particularly screenwriter Kirk Ellis. He shows an obvious, genuine passion for the man who was John Adams - a man the history books failed to truly explain. It was riveting to simply hear him talk for a few minutes.

And I loved watching the entire team - Giamatti, Hanks, McCullough, the writers & HBO team - joke and talk together. Definitely looking forward to seeing it.

Posted by: Rachel, Mar 07, 2008 12:20:01 PM

As a SAG actor who worked on this film I can tell you the attention to historical detail and the quality of the writing was phenominal and it shows in the finished project. With a long line of other projects under my belt I can tell you, you will not be disappointed in this series.

Posted by: KM, Mar 07, 2008 06:25:37 AM

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All photos by Rachel Cothran.

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