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Tom Hanks said the 'cruel whipmasters at Apple' made him do an interview in front of a blank wall so people couldn't scrutinize things in his home (AAPL)

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  • Actor Tom Hanks discussed his new war movie "Greyhound" that will debut on Apple TV Plus in a recent interview with The Guardian.
  • According to Hanks, Apple instructed him to use a blank wall as his background in the interview with the outlet's reporter, perhaps to prevent anything in his home — such as books on a shelf — from being scrutinized.
  • Hanks also expressed "heartbreak" that his movie, which he poured years of work into, won't be experienced on the big screen.
  • The movie was supposed to hit theatres, but with cinemas shut amid the pandemic, Apple TV shelled out $70 million for the distribution rights in mid-May. The movie debuts Friday.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Actor Tom Hanks has been on the promotion circuit for his new movie "Greyhound," set to debut Friday on Apple TV Plus, the tech giant's streaming service.

During a recent interview with The Guardian, Hanks revealed that "the cruel whipmasters at Apple" had a peculiar request of him for the occasion: He was instructed to use a blank wall as his background during the interview with the outlet, perhaps to prevent any reading material displayed on a bookshelf from being scrutinized, according to The Guardian's Hadley Freeman.

Hanks said it made him look like he was in a "witness protection programme. But here I am, bowing to the needs of Apple TV."

Hanks' new wartime film centers around his character, Captain Ernie Krause, in the Battle of the Atlantic during World War II. Per the Guardian, Hanks has spent almost a decade working to bring the film, which he also wrote the screenplay for and produced, to fruition. It was originally slated to hit theatres, but cinemas across the nation remain shuttered in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hanks said seeing the film debut on a streaming platform in people's homes versus in movie theatres is "an absolute heartbreak."

"I don't mean to make angry my Apple overlords, but there is a difference in picture and sound quality," Hanks said.

Apple shelled out $70 million for the rights to the movie in mid-May, according to Cult of Mac.

Apple's Netflix competitor debuted in November to a bit of a rocky start when one of its first series, "The Morning Show," received less-than-warm reception from viewers. But CEO Tim Cook said in late January that the company's service was actually "off to a rousing start." 

Statistics from data firm Parrot Analytics reveal that Apple series were included in a list of the top 10 streaming original premieres in the US for Q4 of 2019, alongside programs from Netflix and Disney Plus, among others. 

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SEE ALSO: Apple's CEO says its Netflix competitor is 'off to a rousing start,' and third-party data suggests he could be right despite negative industry perception

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