In 1995, at the height of his success, Tom Hanks took on acting, producing, writing and directing duties for That Thing You Do!. He described making the modestly budgeted musical comedy as “the most severe test” of his resources because he was attempting three of those roles for the first time, while managing an unusually large production.

The film, inspired by Hanks’s love of The Beatles, followed a one-hit rock band and had a $26 million budget, thousands of people in some scenes and an extensive shooting schedule. Although it received strong reviews and an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song, it performed poorly at the box office; Hanks nevertheless continued to value the film personally.