Chet Hanks, the son of the Hollywood stars Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, is opening up about some of the downsides of having famous parents in a new video posted to YouTube .
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Growing Up With Famous Parents Was A ‘Double-Edged Sword’
Hanks, 31, said that while he feels “blessed” with loving parents, the experience of being the child of famous people was a “double-edged sword.”
“There’s a lot of advantages but sometimes it can be pretty weird,” he said, according to Daily Mail. “I got to do a lot of cool s–t that a lot of people don’t get the opportunity to do. I got to travel the world, stay in nice hotels, fly on private planes and I’m very blessed for that. I wouldn’t change my situation.”
“My experience was even more complicated because on top of fame already being toxic, I wasn’t even famous,” Chet continued. “I was just the son of somebody famous so I hadn’t even done anything to deserve any sort of recognition and that created a lot of contempt.”
Related: Tom Hanks’ Son Chet Describes The Moment He Felt “Touched By God” And Left Atheism Behind
Chet Hanks Says People Had Preconceived Notions Of Him
Chet went on to explain that in school growing up, he was dismayed to find that many people had preconceived notions of him that were based solely on who his parents were.
“People would make up their minds about me before they even got the chance to know me and it was extremely hard to break down their walls,” he explained, adding that this led to him developing a “chip” on his shoulder, as well as him growing the “exterior” of a tough guy. Chet was noticeably heavily tattooed in the video, which he appeared in shirtless to show off his ink.
“People kinda did f**k with me a lot growing up. It was never to my face. It was always behind my back in the forms of gossip or s**t talking,” he lamented, saying that he learned the hard way that “people’s perception of you is only a reflection of themselves.”
RELATED: Tom Hanks’ Sons Post Update On Actor’s Coronavirus Diagnosis
Thankfully, Chet has since developed a new perspective on life that has gotten him off this “self-destructive” path of “anger” and “partying.” You can watch his full confession in the YouTube video below.
Chet Hanks Wishes He ‘Could Have Been More Anonymous’
US Weekly reported that in an interview last year, Chet said that while he wouldn’t change his background in life, he wishes he “could have been more anonymous.”
Chet has been seen as controversial at times, most notably when he spoke out against COVID-19 vaccinations last summer, directly contradicting the views of his liberal pro-vaccine parents.
Chet Hanks goes on anti-vax rant despite his parents, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, getting covid last year. pic.twitter.com/egh0oTcnsg
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The vast majority of us would think that the child of Hollywood A-listers has it all, so it’s interesting to get in the mind of someone who had that life and seems to have struggled with it.
We’re glad to see that after having a “chip” on his shoulders for years, Chet Hanks appears to be on the right path now.