While it’s often taken for granted that celebrity children have an open door in the entertainment industry, it’s rare that they manage to exceed audience expectations. That’s exactly what happened to Chet Hanks, the son of Tom Hanks, who is in the new, currently most watched series on Netflix – “Playmaker” (“Running Point”) – showed surprisingly convincing acting talent.
Until recently, Hanks was known to the public primarily for controversies and eccentric appearances, and much less for his acting work. However, his role in this sports comedy shows a completely different picture – one in which natural charm and a sense of humor come to the fore.
The Playmaker series, which stars Mindy Keiling, Ike Barinholz, Elaine Coe and David Stassen, is led by Kate Hudson as Isla Gordon, the heiress of the family’s basketball club who unexpectedly takes over the management of the team. In that world full of ego, money and sports ambitions, Chet Hanks plays Travis Bagg, a troubled basketball player whose private and professional life often spirals out of control.
What makes this role stand out is the way Hanks balances comedy and drama. His character is both caricatured and vulnerable – torn between ambitions, industry pressure and personal weaknesses. The scenes in which he tries to fight the influence of his mother-manager are particularly impressive, while in the background the struggle with addiction is looming.
While many expected his appearance to be a short-lived attention-grabbing gimmick, Hanks turns out to bring an authentic energy and unexpected depth to the character he plays. Precisely because of this, his interpretation already stands out as one of the more pleasant surprises of the series.
The “nepo baby” phenomenon continues to cause divided opinion, but the example of Chet Hanks shows that origin is not necessarily a barrier to talent – nor a guarantee of success. In his case, it seems that this role was the turning point that moved him from the sphere of controversy to a more serious acting story.
As “Playmaker” continues to dominate Netflix ratings, it remains to be seen if Hanks will turn this momentum into a stable career. For now, one thing is certain – the audience looks at him with different eyes than before.
