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Tom Hanks covers the latest issue of People to coincide with the release of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Tom is, of course, bringing to life beloved icon Fred Rogers opposite Matthew Rhys, who is playing Lloyd Vogel, a character based on journalist Tom Junod, who profiled Fred Rogers in 1998 for Esquire.

As part of its cover story, People talked to some of Tom’s longtime friends and colleagues to find out what he’s really like. Tom loves celebrating friendship, himself, so this was especially appropriate:

It’s no secret that Tom Hanks is a beloved star. He might even be most admired of them all, given the countless stories about his generosity, dedication to his family and unflappably professional work ethic…

Longtime friend and collaborator Ron Howard, who directed Hanks in 1984’s Splash and 1995’s Apollo 13, says that in addition to all the talk about him being a great person, his acting talent is occasionally overlooked.

“He’s that good,” says Howard. “He’s like one of those athletes who is so effortless that you don’t realize that he’s the game-changer.”

Hanks, 63, says he thinks of himself as part of a team, not an individual.

“I like being part of an ensemble,” he told PEOPLE earlier this year. “Anybody can make it a miserable day by being cranky or self-centered, by thinking it’s all about them instead of all about the whole.”

Maura Tierney, who costarred with Hanks in Broadway’s Lucky Guy, loves that “he’s not afraid to be a goofball,” for example, she would often find “like, five selfies of Tom making goofy faces on my phone,” she recalls. “He would take selfies if anyone left their phone lying around.”

[From People]

Matthew Rhys talks about how smart and “well-read” Tom is; Julia Roberts says that Tom is always “happy and excited” about the people in his life and the projects that he takes on.

Tom may be a wonderful human and friend, but he was also daunted by the prospect of playing Fred Rogers, arguably one of the most famous real friends to countless children whom he invited into his living room for over thirty years. People also reports that Tom told CBS News he was anxious about zipping up that iconic sweater: “The moment I said ‘yes,’ I began to have the night sweats”:

The Oscar winner, 63, also admitted that taking on the role was “terrifying,” and turned it down down “a couple of times” before director Marielle Heller was able to convince him to do it.

“He came in and immediately called me ‘boss,'” she tells PEOPLE in the latest issue. “He knows I’m setting the tone and he’s respectful of letting that be the case even though he’s Tom Hanks, which is just amazing.”

But although Rogers and Hanks share similar beloved-by-the-public statuses, they are not at all the same person. Hanks had to work hard to learn Rogers’ slower, deliberate mannerisms.

“I’ve said in a soundbite kind of way that ‘America’s dad is playing America’s dad’ and Hanks and Rogers emanate the same feeling from people,” his costar Matthew Rhys tells PEOPLE. “But they are two very different people. Tom is incredibly fast, sharp-witted, humorous in that lightning-quick way and he moves and talks very differently from Fred Rogers.”

[From People]

Tom didn’t need to worry too much: Fred Rogers’ widow, Joanne Rogers approves of Tom’s portrayal of her late husband, and had these very sweet words for him: “One of the most wonderful things about this film is that Tom Hanks is playing Fred Rogers. Fred Rogers was a huge fan of Tom Hanks… He looks adorable as Fred.”

I can’t wait to see this movie! I can’t imagine how daunting it was to Tom to take on the responsibility of playing Fred Rogers, though I don’t think he could do a poor job of it, even if he tried. It’s lovely that Mrs. Rogers approves of Tom’s work; I’m sure that that makes him feel good. I also love learning more about Tom, and that he does things like take surprise selfies with people’s phones. A lot of my friends share stories of their children doing the same thing, and taking goofy photos. I’d absolutely love it if I left my phone somewhere and Tom Hanks picked it up and took a bunch of selfies with it.

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