Tom Hanks 'loves' reading history

Two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks, who has essayed the role of a lawyer James Donovan in acclaimed filmmaker Steven Speilberg's Cold War movie "Bridge of Spies", says he "loves" reading history.

"I love reading history and finding out something brand new, particularly about a subject that I think I'm well versed in. And when that happens, man, it's like the slot machine paying off," Hanks said in a statement.

"And one of the most exciting things to happen to an actor is when you read a red-hot piece of material and not only do they already want you for it, but Steven Spielberg already wants you for it," he added.

A dramatic thriller set against the backdrop of a series of historic events, "Bridge of Spies" tells the story of James Donovan, a Brooklyn lawyer who finds himself thrust into the centre of the Cold War when the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) sends him on the near impossible task to negotiate the release of a captured US U-2 pilot.

"This subject matter has always fascinated me, because of the area and because of the time. As a child, we were educated that there were bad guys on the other side of the world and that they put up an Iron Curtain to keep their people in and to keep us out and they were hell-bent on destroying our way of life and making us live the same way they did," the "Saving Private Ryan" actor explained what drew him to the film.

The actor said that his character in the film, James Donovan, "was a born negotiator."

"He's Irish, tough, and does not give an inch. He was willing to go deep, deep into the nuts and bolts of the law, which requires a very special kind of attention and energy, as well as a faith in the nuts and bolts of the law, which he had. He had given a vociferous, authentic and passion-filled defense for this Soviet spy Rudolf Abel," he added.

Apart from Hanks, the film also stars Mark Rylance, Amy Ryan, Scott Shepherd, Sebastian Koch and Alan Alda.