Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)Actor Tom Hanks went after The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for their support of California's Proposition 8 while talking to Fox News. Today, the Church responded.
Hanks played a gay attorney who was fired from his job in the movie "Philadelphia," and he paid special tribute to a couple of gay teachers in his Oscar acceptance speech. Now, he is slamming people who voted for an anti-gay marriage proposition in California.
The executive producer of HBO's "Big Love" told Fox News at the show's premier party Wednesday that a lot of Mormons gave money to make Prop. 8 happen and he felt it was un-American.
Hanks is hoping this will shed light on who is responsible and that America and California can move forward instead of backward.
Church spokesman Scott Trotter issued a one-sentence statement today in response to Hanks' comments. It reads: "Expressing an opinion in a free and democratic society is as American as it gets."
E-mail: cwall@ksl.com