Former Child Star David Moscow Remembers Tom Hanks as 'a Big Kid' on the Set of “Big” — 'He's Super Playful' (Exclusive)

The former 'Big' actor recounts what it was like working with Tom Hanks in conversation with PEOPLE

It’s been 36 years since the Tom Hanks-led body-swap movie Big was released, but David Moscow still has fond memories from the film’s set.

“He's not pretentious,” Moscow tells PEOPLE of Hanks. “There's no pretension about him at all. He would come to work in a backpack and take the subway.”

Moscow, who just celebrated his 50th birthday in November, recounts what filming with Hanks was like just before the Oscar-winning actor became a big name in Hollywood.

“He was a big kid. He was super playful, [and] very fun,” Moscow remembers. “There was no treating me as a kid. He just treated himself as a kid.”

Related: Robert De Niro Confirms He Dropped Out of 'Big' After Getting Cast in Tom Hanks' Role: 'It's Fine'

In Big, Moscow starred as young Josh before the body switch happens. Though he shared few scenes with Hanks, the actor spent time with Moscow and his friends “researching” for the role, which aided in bringing the kid-like wonder in Josh’s character to life.

Moscow says Hanks would join him and his friends in the park, videotaping them doing various scenarios that happened in the film. In a particular scene in Big, Hanks and John Heard (who played Paul) are playing handball together, and Moscow says the scene reminds him of his childhood friend Ernest.

“When you watch the movie, there's a moment in it where we're like, ‘That's Ernest. He's doing Ernest right there!’ “ Moscow says. “Ernest had these long arms and a big head, and he would use his head to push me away, and then switch the ball from his long arm to his other long arm, and Tom did it.”

Hanks also paid special attention to the clothes the young boys were wearing and insisted on wearing Converse in the movie, because “it really affected how he walked,” Moscow says.

“He kind of took all the quirky things about being a kid — those weird, awkward things — and [tuned] them up and had them live in him.”

Hanks also took the time to show up for some of Moscow’s scenes — something he says was helpful as he learned director Penny Marshall’s style of shooting.

Related: 'Big' Actor David Moscow Shares Near-Death Experience Filming New Reality Series 'From Scratch'

“I was on take 35 [of my first scene] and luckily, Tom showed up on that day to watch me,” Moscow recounts. “He pulled me aside and he's like, ‘Don't worry about it kid. Yesterday I had one shot where I did 55 takes, and it's because she wants every possible option when she gets the editing room.' Thank goodness he told me that.”

The 1988 film landed Hanks an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, while Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg were also nominated for Best Original Screenplay that year. Hanks ultimately took home a Golden Globe award for best actor for Big. It was also the first feature film directed by a woman to gross more than $100 million at the box office.

“He couldn't be held back," Moscow says, "that enormous talent."

Moscow's latest project also offers a special connection: his travel food series, Tastemade's From Scratch, which he works on with both his wife and father, will premiere its fifth season in April. In it, Moscow will travel to locations including Kansas City, Denmark and Sweden to make meals from scratch while learning about "the planet’s complex and interconnected food supply, how it is sourced, who is involved in the process and why it matters," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

From Scratch is available to stream now on the Tastemade streaming channel.