Tom Hanks’ daughter EA calls Rita Wilson her ‘other mother’ after troubling childhood with biological mom
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Elizabeth Ann Hanks is opening up about her difficult childhood and the strong relationship she shares with her stepmother, Rita Wilson.
The 42-year-old daughter of Tom Hanks and his late ex-wife, Susan Dillingham, is revealing her story in her new book 'The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road', out on April 8.
EA Hanks details relationship with Rita Wilson
As she reflects on her family and upbringing, EA Hanks, short for Elizabeth Anne Hanks, shares how Rita Wilson has long played a maternal role in her life.
“When I say my parents, I really mean my dad and Rita because they’ve been together since before I can really remember,” EA told People. “They’ve been together since I was 4 or 5.”
Tom and Rita, both 68, first met on the set of ABC’s 'Bosom Buddies' in 1981. They began dating in 1986, a year after Tom’s divorce from Susan, who also went by the stage name Samantha Lewes.
Tom and Rita married in 1988 and went on to have two sons together, Chester "Chet" Hanks, 34, and Truman Hanks, 29. The 'Forrest Gump' actor also shares a son, Colin Hanks, 47, with his late ex-wife.
Given Rita’s long presence in her life, EA said, “Rita’s not really a stepmother, she’s my other mother.”
EA Hanks opens up about her siblings
EA Hanks also spoke about her bond with her younger siblings. “I don’t think I’ve ever really referred to them as my half brothers, which I guess they technically are,” she said.
“Chester was five when I moved to Los Angeles and Truman had just been born, so neither of them remember a time when I didn’t live with them. We’re a posse,” EA shared.
While EA has positive memories with her father and Rita, her early years with her mother, Susan, were challenging. Susan died in 2002 at age 49 from bone cancer.
In her memoir, EA writes about her life after her parents’ divorce in 1985.
EA Hanks details her childhood filled with 'confusion and violence'
Susan Dillingham had custody of EA Hanks and Colin Hanks, while Tom Hanks saw them on weekends. At one point, Susan relocated the children from Los Angeles to Sacramento without informing their father.
“My dad came to pick us up from school and we’re not there. And it turns out we haven't been there for two weeks and he has to track us down,” she wrote in her memoir, as per an excerpt shared with the outlet.
She described her time in Sacramento between ages 5 and 14 as “filled with confusion, violence, deprivation, and love.”
In the book, EA described her mother’s house during that time, writing that the backyard was “full of dog s**t, the house stank of smoke, and the fridge was bare or full of expired food.”
“One night, her emotional violence became physical violence,” EA wrote at one point, as per E! News. “And in the aftermath I moved to Los Angeles, right smack in the middle of the seventh grade.”
While her siblings pursued careers in the film industry, EA chose to focus on writing. A former writer for Vanity Fair, she has contributed to TIME, The Guardian, and The New York Times.
