 Tom Hanks (qv) was chosen to play the lead as he was considered  "likeable" by the producers and would dampen the negativity of the  character he would play, Sherman McCoy, thus hopefully improving the  movies commercial chances. The casting of Hanks was widely  criticized at the time, according to "The Devils Candy", as he was  considered a light comedian. Though he had recently received an  Oscar nomination for _Big (1988)_ (qv) he had yet to prove himself  as a dramatic actor. Hanks hoped this would be his chance to prove  himself in drama, but he would have to wait until  _Philadelphia (1993)_ (qv) to make his mark as a "serious" actor.