Oscar winner talks about being Charlie

Hanks tells Oprah he was inspired by Wilson's work but not impressed with his wardrobe

"Oprah" fans learned what East Texans for years have known about former U.S. congressman Charlie Wilson when actors Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts appeared on her show — that he overcame stereotypes to change the face of global politics.

Oprah.com (enlarge photo) Oscar winners Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks discuss the movie ''Charlie Wilson's War'' Monday with talk show host Oprah Winfrey.

"Do you think Charlie Wilson is a hero?" Winfrey asked Hanks on the ''Oprah Winfrey Show.''

"I think Charlie Wilson is a fascinating example of how things can get done from the oddest coordinate," Hanks, who plays Wilson in "Charlie Wilson's War" said. "That you would jump to a conclusion, you would adhere to a stereotype about a no-good, do-nothing guy from a little section of Texas that doesn't mean anything and in fact a guy like that can change the world. It is an example for all of us, quite frankly."

The film is about Wilson and his efforts to aid Afghanistan in their war against the Soviets and how it helped bring down the "Iron Curtain." It is based on the book by the same name written by the late George Crile.

Hanks said he wasn't impressed with Wilson's choice in fashion.

"He does not have the best wardrobe on the planet," Hanks said. "He wears slacks with cowboy boots and suspenders. That's his trademark look. This is what he goes to buy."

But Hanks' opinion of Wilson's wardrobe did not have an effect on the impression he left on women.

"He came to the office just to say, 'Hello'," Hanks said. "I remember I was impressed with his gravitas. He has a great deep voice and he's tall — he's like 6-foot-4. When he left, I asked the women who work in the office, 'What do you think of him?' All of them said, 'Oh, he's got something.'

"Will someone explain to me what this is?" Hanks said.

The film portrays Wilson as he was known to his constituents and in Washington as a hard-partying womanizer that earned him the nickname "Good Time Charlie."

Hanks said Wilson was concerned that the film stayed close to the truth.

"He's very particular about a degree of authenticity to it," Hanks said. "He didn't care about his individual character. He said, 'What really happened is important and I want to make sure people realize that.'"

Hanks said the film took "about a five-to-six year-period to get from book to Oprah."

Hanks and Academy-Award winner Roberts are joined by Academy Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Ned Beatty and others in a film labeled by experts as a contender for an Academy Award. It is directed by Mike Nichols and the screenplay was written by Aaron Sorkin.

The film opens nationwide on Christmas Day and is rumored to be less than 100 minutes long. It is not yet rated.

"Open some presents, put on some clothes and rush off!" Hanks said.

"Thank you for telling this story," Winfrey said. "Thank you for holding onto this script and telling this story because you've exposed the story that none of us would have known about if you didn't have the courage to tell it the way you did."

"It's my job," Hanks said.