AceShowbiz - Tom Hanks is glad to have been able to shed his nice guy persona in his latest film role. Often dubbed the nicest man in Hollywood, the actor was able to let off some steam playing "the grumpiest man in America" in his new movie "A Man Called Otto" about a grumpy widower who decides to take his own life but his attempts are foiled by a young family who moved in next door.

"It's fantastic to release my inner grouch," Tom said during an appearance on "The Graham Norton Show" as he explained it felt good to be bad-tempered on screen.

He stars in the film alongside his 26-year-old son Truman Hanks, who plays a younger version of his dad's character, and the actor admitted he doesn't think his boy will follow him into the acing business.

Tom said, "Truman plays my character's younger self, but he's not the actor in the family - he's an artist and is going to be a cinematographer. We talked about it a lot and it was all his choice, but I said to him, 'No matter what your last name is, you are going to have to hit the marks.' Not everyone is cut out for that, but he did a magnificent job and I thought he was extraordinary."

Tom went on to adds, "It's still to be discovered if he's caught the acting bug - we will see where he wants to go with it. I've always said to the kids, 'It's great work if you can get it but you've got to make it stick. But his passion is shaping the shot rather than being in the shot."

"The Graham Norton Show" airs on BBC One on Friday December 16 at 10.40 P.M. It is also available on BBC iPlayer.