Tom Hanks hired Baywatch lifeguard

Tom Hanks hired a 'Baywatch' extra to teach him how to swim.

The 'Angels and Demons' star took lessons to improve his stroke after discovering he would have to don a pair of tight swimming trunks for his latest film role.

He said: "I hired a Los Angeles lifeguard, a guy who actually had appeared on 'Baywatch,' for God's sake! I thought I knew how to swim... go into the pool, go back and forth. But I quickly learned I didn't know how to swim at all - at least not according to my coach!"

The 52-year-old actor was reassured a body double could appear in the water scene, but Hanks told director Ron Howard he wanted to do it himself.

He explained: "I said, 'Not on your life, Ron Howard! If anyone's getting into that Speedo, it's going to be me!' "

The two-time Oscar winner now thanks these scenes for helping attract millions of fans to watch the movie, which is the prequel to 2006 hit 'The Da Vinci Code'.

He added to the Chicago Sun Times newspaper: "I know that all the controversy over 'The Da Vinci Code' book couldn't have done anything else but have led many, many people to come see our movie. Yet, there had to be more than that to lead people all over the world to buy three-quarters of a billion dollars in tickets!"

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