Tom Hanks says he would boycott woke versions of classic books
ACTOR Tom Hanks says he would boycott woke versions of classic books such as Roald Dahl tales.
Hanks, now a bestselling author, said he was “of the opinion that we’re all grown-ups here”.
His comments come after publisher Puffin announced it would remove or rewrite “offensive” language around issues such as weight and gender.
Asked if language should be changed in classics by children’s author Dahl and Agatha Christie, Forrest Gump star Hanks said: “We understand the time and the place and when these things were written.
“And it’s not very hard at all to say: that doesn’t quite fly right now, does it?
“Let’s have faith in our own sensibilities here, instead of having somebody decide what we may or may not be offended by.”
Hanks, 66, added on BBC Radio 4: “Let me decide what I am offended by and not offended by.
“I would be against reading any book from any era that says ‘abridged due to modern sensitivities’.”
PM Rishi Sunak has also previously spoken out against the woke rewrites.
He weighed in after Puffin Books altered passages deemed offensive – including removing the word fat when describing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’s Augustus Gloop.