Hollywood star Rita Wilson said she wouldn’t call “slowing down” her movie career to raise her and actor Tom Hanks’ children “a sacrifice” and said it’s more of “a choice” to be there at home for them.
In a wide-ranging interview for People magazine, the 66-year-old actress talked about stepping away from the spotlight to raise her and Hanks’ two kids and be there for her two stepkids from her husband’s earlier marriage as well.
“I slowed down my work because I really wanted to be the mom that was there when they got home, drove the carpool and did all those things,” Wilson explained.
“Tom was also working a lot, so we would travel with him,” she added. “If both of us were working and not home, my kids would have been affected. I wouldn’t call slowing down my career a sacrifice, I would call it a choice.”
Wilson started working in Hollywood at the age of 16 when she landed a role on the TV show “The Brady Bunch.” She later appeared on such shows as “Three’s Company” and “Bosom Buddies” before she made it to the big screen.
She’s probably best known for her roles in movies like “Sleepless in Seattle” and “That Thing You Do.” But as Hanks’ career took off, she said one of them needed to be home. Rita said she feels no regrets about her choice and noted that the two have always been supportive of each other.
Rita Wilson Says Slowing Down Her Career When Her Kids Were Young Wasn't a 'Sacrifice but a Choice' https://t.co/yZ7ekHXrBj
— People (@people) December 27, 2022
“Tom and I have always been supportive of each other and what we do,” Wilson shared. “I remember doing press junkets back in the day, and interviewers would say to me, ‘Gosh, it must be so difficult to be with someone so famous.’ I would think, ‘Why are they saying that?’ Then I realized that the question was more about them and how they would feel in that situation than me.”
“If you have someone who is happy for your success, and you’re happy for their success, that’s not even an issue that comes up,” she added. “You know about schadenfreude, when you’re happy for someone’s failure? Well, there’s another concept called freudenfreude, which is when you’re happy for someone’s success. I live in the freudenfreude. Somebody else’s success does not diminish my own.”
Rita and Hanks have been married for more than 30 years.
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