Tom Hanks explained what his love of history has taught him about the threats American democracy faces today during a conversation with Time magazine published last week.

Talking about his new World War II docuseries on the History Channel, the Oscar winner said apathy was a far more dangerous force than hate when asked what “moral courage” looked like in this day and age.

“The best petri dish for tyranny is indifference, and we have a choice every single day to do something or not based on what we think is right,” he said.

“Now, for some of us, it’s showing up and raising our fist and saying, ‘not on my watch,’” Hanks explained. “For others, it’s giving money to those who fight the good fight. For many others of us, it just comes down to not ignoring what’s going on and continuing to tell the stories that matter.”

The “Saving Private Ryan” star used the World War II example of the U.S. displacing and imprisoning Japanese Americans in internment camps as an example of the horrors that happen when people turn a blind eye to injustice.

“For a populace to say, ‘We did not really know that our neighbors were being rounded up and sent away’ is just as though today we would say, ‘I don’t really see any signs of homelessness in America,’” Hanks said. “No. It’s obvious. And it’s happening. And it’s not pleasant. But we cannot be complicit in 2026 to this kind of thing going on. Otherwise, look what we might recreate.”

With the 250th anniversary of America’s founding on the horiszon this July 4, Hanks called the landmark “all about the beginning of the two-steps-forward, one-step-back process of making our nation a more perfect union.”

“We will never be a perfect union but we’ve had 250 years to figure out how we actually get closer to that,” he explained.

The 20-episode History Channel series, “World War II with Tom Hanks,” was developed in collaboration with the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. New episodes premiere Mondays with the first three available to watch now.

By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.