Ever watch a movie and suddenly realize you have no idea how old the lead actor actually was? It happens all the time with 80s classics. You're sitting there, watching a guy jump around on a giant floor piano, and you think, "Wait, he looks like a kid, but he's clearly a man." If you’ve ever wondered how old was Tom Hanks in Big, you’re definitely not alone.
It’s one of those trivia questions that pops up at bars or during family movie nights. The movie itself is about a 12-year-old (or 13, depending on which scene you're looking at) who wakes up in a 30-year-old’s body. But the real-life math is a little different than the movie magic.
The Actual Number: Tom Hanks' Age During Filming
Let’s get the hard data out of the way. Tom Hanks was born on July 9, 1956. Big started filming in the summer of 1987.
If you do the quick math, that puts him right at 31 years old while he was running around New York City playing Josh Baskin. By the time the movie actually hit theaters on June 3, 1988, he was about a month shy of his 32nd birthday.
It’s a weirdly perfect age for that role.
He was old enough to look like a "grown-up" to a kid, but young enough to still have that lanky, boyish energy that made the whole "child in a man's body" thing actually believable. Honestly, if he had been 40, the scene where he shares a bunk bed with Billy might have felt a lot more awkward than it did.
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Why the Character Age Gets Confusing
In the film, Josh Baskin starts out as a kid. Most people remember him as being 12, though the script and the "official" age of the kid actor, David Moscow, sometimes lean closer to 13. When adult Josh gets his first paycheck or talks to Susan, the world treats him like he's 30.
So, you have three ages happening at once:
- The character’s "soul" age: 12 or 13.
- The character’s physical age in the script: 30.
- The actor's actual age: 31.
It’s a bit of a meta-layer. Tom Hanks was basically playing a 30-year-old, which he almost was, while pretending to be a 12-year-old. Talk about a workout for an actor’s brain.
The Robert De Niro "What If"
Here’s a fun piece of history: Tom Hanks almost wasn’t in this movie. Can you imagine?
Originally, the studio wanted Robert De Niro. Now, De Niro is a legend, but imagine the "Vito Corleone" guy trying to play a kid who just wants to buy a Transformer. De Niro was actually cast, but he had to drop out because of a scheduling conflict (and some reports say a salary dispute).
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At that point, De Niro was in his mid-40s. If he had played the role, the dynamic of the movie would have shifted from "whimsical comedy" to something a lot darker. Elizabeth Perkins, who played Susan, once mentioned in an interview that with De Niro, it felt more like a "horror movie" in rehearsals.
Hanks brought a lightness that saved the film. He didn't just act like a kid; he became the embodiment of that awkward transition phase where your limbs are too long for your body.
How He Nailed the "Kid" Vibe at 31
A lot of people think acting like a kid just means being loud or messy. It’s not.
To prepare for the role, director Penny Marshall had a pretty genius idea. She had the younger actor, David Moscow, perform the scenes first. Then, Tom Hanks would watch him. He didn’t just mimic the movements; he studied how a 12-year-old stands when they’re nervous or how they eat corn on the cob (remember that party scene?).
Hanks noticed that kids don’t have the same "social filters" as adults. They move abruptly. They don't care if their shirt is tucked in. At 31, Hanks had to unlearn years of "adult" body language to make us believe he was Josh.
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The Legacy of the Performance
Looking back from 2026, Big remains the definitive "body swap" movie.
It earned Hanks his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. He lost to Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, which is fair, but Big is the movie people still quote today. It’s the film that proved Hanks wasn't just a "sitcom guy" from Bosom Buddies—he was a powerhouse.
If you’re planning a rewatch, keep an eye on his eyes. Even when he's wearing a suit and sitting in a boardroom, they have this wide-eyed, terrified glimmer. That’s the "31-year-old acting like a 12-year-old" magic at work.
Your Big Movie Fact Sheet
- Actor: Tom Hanks
- Filming Year: 1987
- Hanks' Age during production: 31
- Release Year: 1988
- Josh Baskin's "Kid" Age: 12/13
- Josh Baskin's "Adult" Age: 30
Actionable Insight: If you're a fan of 80s cinema history, check out the "Special Edition" DVD or Blu-ray extras. There are deleted scenes that show a much longer version of the "Zoltar" ending, including a glimpse of Josh back at school, which gives a totally different vibe to his character's growth.
Next time you see a Zoltar machine at a boardwalk, maybe just take a selfie and skip the wish. Being an adult is hard enough without having to figure out how to work a 1980s data entry job overnight.