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Hollywood insiders have tipped veteran actor Tom Hanks for the Academy Award for Best Actor, for his role in the smash hit film ${FILM}. The picture, which has received universal acclaim from critics, stars Hanks as a ${ROLESUMMARY} who finds himself ${PLOTSUMMARY}.

If nominated, it will be the ordinal(${NOMCOUNT}) time Hanks has been in the running for the award, which, if he wins, will be his ordinal(${WINCOUNT}).

Although competition is strong, especially from current hot property ${NOHOPER}, star of box-office record breaker ${POPULARFILM}, those in the know give the edge to the technically superior ${FILM}.

Hanks is typically modest, playing down his own part in the film, and keen to heap praise upon his colleagues, especially director ${DIRECTOR}.

‘I’ve always had the greatest respect for ${DIRECTORS_FIRSTNAME}, and it was a fantastic experience working with him on this film,’ he said in a recent interview. ‘More than any other director, ${DIRECTORS_FIRSTNAME} knows how to get the right performance out of me. It was his influence that made ${FILM} into the wonderful, wonderful picture that it is.’

But ${DIRECTORS_SURNAME} is equally effusive about Hanks.

‘Tom is far and away the brightest star in the Hollywood firmament,’ he told reporters at the recent premiere. ‘As soon as I read the script for ${FILM}, I just knew I had to have him in the lead. I can’t think of another actor who could have brought the depth and breadth to ${HANKS_CHARACTER} that he did.’

Hanks has described playing ${HANKS_CHARACTER} as his most difficult role to date, and spent months prior to the start of filming ${ACTIVITY} to prepare for the part. It is precisely this level of dedication and attention to detail that raises ${FILM} above the mundane, and transforms it into a veritable tour-de-force of the cinematic art.

Co-star ${FEMALE_LEAD}, who many believe will receive a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as ${ROMANTIC_INTEREST}, is also full of praise for Hanks.

‘He makes it so easy to give a good performance,’ she said. ‘People think he’s got this enormous ego, and constantly wants the entire screen to himself, but that’s just not true, and I think that ${FILM} proves this.’

Hanks maintains, as always, that awards are not important to him.

‘I choose projects that I find exciting and challenging,’ he said. ‘I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in many superb pictures, with some of the most talented directors in the world, but I can honestly say that doing ${FILM} with ${DIRECTORS_FIRSTNAME} has been the high point of my career. That’s the important thing to me. Awards are just a nice bonus.’