How Tom Hanks Influenced the Storytelling of NBC's The Americas
Once producer Mike Gunton wooed the actor for The Americas, they proceeded to tailor the scripts to his voice.
When The Americas, a brand-new 10-part nature documentary series, premieres February 23 on NBC, it carries with it an impressive pedigree of talent. A multi-country production under BBC Studios Natural History Unit and Universal Television Alternative Studio, The Americas is executive produced by lauded nature documentarian Mike Gunton (Life, Planet Earth II), narrated by Academy Award-winner Tom Hanks and is scored by Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer.
Already well-experienced in documentary narration, Hanks has lent his voice to tell the stories of such disparate topics as Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D (2005) to his own film about the history of typewriters, California Typewriter (2016). Even his voice performances in the Toy Story films as Woody evoke huge emotions from audiences which is why Mike Gunton shared with NBC Insider that he always thought Hanks would be the "ideal" narrator for The Americas.
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"He is one of the great storytellers," Gunton said. "He is the voice of America. He's a great equalizer and a great connector. One of the things that we wanted to do — and I think he absolutely loved — was this idea that nature doesn't see national boundaries, or country boundaries. It's all interconnected."
Mike Gunton said Tom Hanks was their first choice to narrate
The Americas uniquely focuses on highlighting many incredible animal species native to the continents of North and South America. By treating the continents as what they are — connected ecosystems that extend from pole to pole — that allows audiences to understand how species have evolved and how they live rich, interconnected lives just like humans.
"We felt The Americas needed to speak to people in an empathetic way so they connected with the lives of these animals," Gunton said of their overall goal with the series. "You also need to be awed, and you need spectacle and you need drama. You need to feel that these animals lives are unique and special and full of challenge, so that you care about them. Having Tom Hanks as the voice [of this] was the perfect expression of that."
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Asked how they snagged Hanks, Gunton said they approached Hanks and his team and they were receptive.
"He came to NBC, where he and I sat and watched the rough cut of an episode.
"Obviously, quite nerve wracking," he said with some awe. "But he was very charming and a very unassuming chap. We watched it, and within two minutes, he was going, 'I don't believe it. That's incredible! This is beautiful.' He basically gave this kind of running commentary along those lines, including a few gentle expletives. He later said, 'I feel I was born to narrate this.'"
The Americas team tailored their scripts to Tom Hank's voice
Officially signed on as their storyteller, Gunton said Hanks was a very collaborative partner in telling the stories in the most warm and enthralling ways possible. "He was so receptive to how we wanted to do it. But, of course, brought his own [ideas]," Gunton said. "You don't win all those Oscars without being an absolutely genius actor."
Gunton said they recorded the narration for the episodes in blocks, which meant several sessions with the actor.
"Quite quickly, we started to write for him, his personality and his style," he explained. "Each time we did a narration, it informed us again. I would say that as we progressed, we became even more Tom Hanks-like."
"In the recording studio, it was such a lovely creative process," Gunton continued. "We'd discuss a sequence, then we'd watch it and say, 'This is what we're trying to do.'"
Then, they'd let the actor do his own take, or ad lib jokes and comments that always bettered the stories. "It was a joy to work with him," he confirmed.
The Americas premieres with a special two-hour episode February 23, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. ET on NBC. On March 2, the series will move to its regular time slot at 8:00 p.m. ET.
