Tom Hanks’ 12-year-old costar in his News of The World Helena Zengel says star ‘cried in every scene’ calling for her to be ’emotional’ … ahead of film’s Christmas Day debut
Helena Zengel, the 12-year-old actress who appears alongside Tom Hanks in the upcoming film News of The World, says the A-list actor went to great lengths to boost her performance.
‘He was literally crying in every scene, even when it wasn’t shot on him – it was my close-up,’ said Zengel, who plays Johanna Leonberger to Hanks’ Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd in the adventure drama.
The premise of the film finds Jefferson taking Leonberger to her aunt and uncle, according to a Netflix synopsis of the film, adding, ‘They travel hundreds of miles and face grave dangers as they search for a place that either can call home.’
The latest: Helena Zengel, the 12-year-old actress who appears alongside Tom Hanks, 64, in the upcoming film News of The World, says the A-list actor went to great lengths to boost her performance
Zengel, who has been acting since that age of five, said that the Oscar-winner, 64, ‘cried in every scene that I should get emotional’ onscreen.
The Germany-born child star added: ‘Doing it again and again for your partner when you don’t even see yourself in the movie was really amazing and great.’
Zengel has past been seen on the TV shows Inga Lindström, Never Too Late for Justice and Spreewaldkrimi, and in the films Dark Blue Girl and System Crasher.
Zengel opened up earlier this month to The Hollywood Reporter about auditioning in an emotional scene for News of The World in the summer of 2019 in London for filmmaker Paul Greengrass.
Zengel, who has been acting since that age of five, said that the Oscar-winner, 64, ‘cried in every scene that I should get emotional’ onscreen
Premise: Zengel plays Johanna Leonberger to Hanks’ Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd in the adventure drama
She said that her mother Anna acted as Hanks’ stand-in in the tryout, saying, ‘It was really funny because I had to bite mama and scream at her.
‘Afterwards, Paul said, “You’ve got the role.” But my English wasn’t so good then,’ she said. ‘I didn’t understand him. Only when he held out his hand and said, “It’s yours if you want it,” I was so overwhelmed. I could have jumped for joy. I did, actually. And then mama and I went shopping!’
Director and co-writer Paul Greengrass and Hanks were seen on the set of the film
Greengrass told the publication that he ‘had a strong sense … that [Zengel] was a special talent after seeing her in System Crasher.
‘Going into the film, I thought it would be a long, long search to find our Johanna, but it turned out to be very straightforward,’ he said.
The movie debuts in theaters December 25 and on Netflix in the near future.