Tom Hanks Says 'That Thing You Do!' Cast Reunion Was 'The Coolest Thing in the World'

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Tom Hanks Says 'That Thing You Do!' Cast Reunion Was 'The Coolest Thing in the World'

Some of the cast of the beloved 1996 musical comedy That Thing You Do! reunited as their on-screen band, The Wonders (aka The Oneders), at the iconic Roxy Theater in Los Angeles on Tuesday, and co-star Tom Hanks had nothing but love for the special reunion.

ET caught up with Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, before the premiere of his upcoming thriller The Circle at the Tribeca Film Festival on Wednesday, and the two-time Oscar winner marveled at the performance.

"I thought it was the coolest thing in the world," said Hanks, who admitted he wasn't in attendance at the event because, he "didn't know anything about it."

The long-awaited reunion saw Tom Everett Scott (who starred as drummer Guy Patterson), Johnathon Schaech (who played lead singer Jimmy Mattingly) and Ethan Embry (who played the unnamed bassist), take to the Roxy stage to perform the band's titular hit single, "That Thing You Do."

The film, which was set in the summer of 1964, tells the comedic tale of a small band's rise to fame off the strength of a single song, and their eventual legacy as a one-hit wonder. Hanks starred as Mr. White, an A&R talent manager who plays a role in reshaping the band to make them more commercial.

Hanks described his time working on the celebrated comedy as "magic," and praised the film for its lasting popularity.

"That was a very special movie I think for everybody," Hanks said. "The fact that the guys still like the subject matter enough to get back together again -- and they didn't even lip sync! They actually sang the song themselves. So God bless them."

Despite the nostalgia for the film and his fond memories, Hanks said that he doesn't think there's any way a sequel could work.

"I don't know that a sequel would make sense because you'd be in a whole different era, you know?" he explained. "You'd have to take The Wonders into what? 1966? How do you do that? I think the window was closed on that era."

Another of Hanks' iconic movies is also getting some attention, with the upcoming 25th anniversary of the release of A League of Their Own. The actor starred as team manager Jimmy Dugan in the female-driven baseball comedy, alongside Geena Davis, Madonna, Lori Petty, and Rosie O'Donnell.

Thinking back about his time on the set, Hanks also shared his favorite memory of shooting the celebrated comedy.

"Playing baseball all day long with a bunch of chicks," Hank joked. "Good gig."

Hanks' latest project, The Circle -- which also stars Emma Watson, John Boyega, Karen Gillan, and the late Bill Paxton -- hits theaters this Friday.

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