(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Tom Hanks considers acting a "vacation" compared to directing.

The Hollywood icon directed and stars in upcoming romantic comedy Larry Crowne, where he appears opposite Julia Roberts.

His other directing credits include 1996 comedy That Thing You Do! and as much as he enjoys being behind the screen, he concedes it's a large amount of work.

"Acting is almost like a vacation compared with the workload that a director has," he explained.

"An actor really only has to show people what he's thinking while a director has to start having meetings eight months before the first day of shooting and continues having meetings nine months after it's all over.

"It's like an actor is a dog running through a park, while the director is a dog trying to herd 6,000 sheep over Cattleman's Pass."

Tom plays the title character in Larry Crowne, which is about a man who loses his job and decides to enrol at a community college. Julia, who acted alongside Tom in Charlie Wilson's War, plays Larry's public speaking teacher. Tom has a reputation for being one of the most likeable stars in Hollywood, although he argues he doesn't try to impress people.

"In my younger days I probably wanted everybody to like me, but that's not necessary now," he told British newspaper The Daily Telegraph. "I am who I am." (C) Cover Media