Chet Hanks did not hold back about his life in the spotlight.
Growing up with famous parents had its ups and downs for Chet Hanks. In a new YouTube video, the 31-year-old son of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson gets really up about the good and bad parts of his childhood in the spotlight.
“There are a lot of advantages, but sometimes it can be pretty weird,” he admitted. “Everyone knows the advantages. They’re self-explanatory. I’m very blessed. I got to do a lot of cool s**t that a lot of people don’t get the opportunity to do. I got to travel the world, stay in nice hotels, fly in private planes.”
“I’m very blessed for that. I wouldn’t change my situation for anything,” Chet continued. “I love my parents. I wouldn’t want any different parents, and I wouldn’t want any different life, so I’m very grateful and blessed for all of that.”
Despite Chet’s gratitude for his privileged upbringing, all of that came at a cost. He reflected on how people’s infatuation with fame can brew a lot of “jealousy” and “envy.”
“My experience was even more complicated because on top of fame already being toxic, I wasn’t even famous,” Chet said. “I was just the son of somebody famous so I hadn’t even done anything to deserve any sort of recognition and that created a lot of contempt.”
He noted that after he attended the same school for preschool through middle school, things got worse when he entered a new crowd in high school and college.
“People would make up their minds about me before they even got the chance to know me and it was extremely hard to break down their walls,” the Empire actor said, admitting that this experience led him to get a “chip” on his shoulder and develop a “hard exterior.”
Chet added, “People kinda did f–k with me a lot growing up. It was never to my face. It was always behind my back in the forms of gossip or s–t talking.”
Holding a mirror up to the man he once was and the man he is today, Chet shared that it took a long time for him to learn that “people’s perception of you is only a reflection of themselves.” He has now “changed” his “life” and is no longer on the “self-destructive” path of anger and partying, he said.
“All in all, I’m really happy and I’m very blessed. I learned a lot about myself. I wouldn’t change my predicament for anything,” he said. “… Today I’m grateful, I’ve changed my life, I’ve no longer gone down that self-destructive road, dealing with my anger and resentment by self-destructing, by pleasure-seeking, through partying, drugs, alcohol, substances, everything. Now I’m just focusing on doing the work and being the best me I can be.”
Watch the video below for more details:
Source: AWM
