Tom Hanks, a Hollywood icon, has previously told the humorous story that caused him to become an Aston Villa supporter.
The iconic actor was at Villa Park in February, when the club met Arsenal in the Premier League. He, like Prince William, is a well-known claret and blue fan, but few people know how he came to support the club.
On James Corden’s Late Late Show in 2019, Hanks shared the complete tale of how he first heard the club’s name and assumed it was an English coastal resort. During the show, host Corden told Hanks, “We take football very seriously here, and you’re a fan of quite an obscure team.”
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Hanks responded: “I don’t think Aston Villa is an obscure team, the claret and blue. But this is what happened. I was a young guy when I first visited the United Kingdom, and I had jet lag.
“So, on my first morning in London, I got out of bed, ripped open the drapes, and looked outside. It was June. What a stunning day in London! Where is everyone? There wasn’t a soul in the park or the street. I recognized it was ten minutes after five a.m. since the sun was rising.
“There was nothing to do other than turn on the BBC and watch the football scores. I wasn’t sure where any of these towns were. Swansea 6 Stoke City 0; Blackfoot 5 Tottenham Twixby 3… I wasn’t sure where any of these teams were. Then someone got on and shouted ‘Aston Villa 2….’
“And I thought, ‘Aston Villa’, what a beautiful vacation destination! Aston Villa … It’s a gorgeous villa, and when you open the French doors, you can see the beautiful harbor of Aston below.”It turns out it’s in Birmingham.” There is nothing wrong with that, or with Birmingham. But this is not a town for the faint of heart, I assure you. So, since then, I’ve been a die-hard Aston Villa fan. I’ve watched them play once, in a friendly in the United States, so I do support them.
When Corden mentioned that Prince William is also a Villa supporter, Hanks responded, “Not only is the future King of England an Aston Villa fan,” “But Aston Villa fans will soon, in the future, be holding up the FA Cup all unto their own.”
Cordon retorted, “It might be quite a long distance into the future,” but Hanks stopped him off, saying, “Aww shut up! “UP THE VILLA!”
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