Mariana Treviño Says She Felt 'Very Close' to Tom Hanks and His Family When Making 'Man Called Otto'

Mariana Treviño had the ultimate co-pilot for her breakout Hollywood performance.

The Mexican actress, 45, who stars opposite Tom Hanks in the laugh-out-loud tearjerker A Man Called Otto, tells PEOPLE that "it was such a gift" to work on the film with the Academy Award winner, 66, as well as his wife Rita Wilson and their son Truman Hanks.

"It was very close. I felt very close to everyone while working with Tom and Rita," Treviño raves. "I felt very loved by them, including [director Marc Forster], as well. I think this helped for the character of Marisol to just do what she had to do within the story, what she came to do."

Based on Fredrik Backman's 2012 novel A Man Called Ove and the 2015 Swedish film of the same name, A Man Called Otto stars Hanks as the titular grumpy widower whose plans to take his own life are thwarted by his infectiously cheery new neighbor Marisol (Treviño), who wins him over with her cooking and ultimately reminds him that he's not alone.

As the hard-working, pregnant Mexican mother becomes a part of his life, he offers her driving lessons. For Treviño, the scene turned out to be an instance of art imitating life.

"I think Tom is probably a better driver," she admits. "Because I must admit, I didn't remember how to drive stick. I had learned when I was a teenager and I since had not picked up on that.

"I went to the production, I was like, 'You guys, please give me a little class before, because I don't want to crash the car with Tom Hanks in it,'" recalls Treviño.

The lessons paid off for what turned out to be a "pivotal scene" in the movie, which Treviño says was "a particularly beautiful day" on set with Hanks, despite filming "for hours" inside a car together.

"It was beautiful because this little nervous thing was there for the scene," she explains. "It is ... like a coming-of-age scene in a sense between a father and a daughter, where a father is teaching her how to drive.

"We got to talk, we got to have a really nice and intimate conversation, a very sweet kind of a conversing as we were in that capsule," Treviño adds. "We got closer, too. It was a very memorable day for me."

Treviño says Hanks is "such a generous actor," as well as crediting Forster, 53, for creating a "really safe emotional space for us to be in the moment and to be reacting to what the story needed in the moment."

The Narcos: Mexico alum also became close with Wilson, 66, who served as one of the film's producers and a key force in getting the U.S. adaptation made. Additionally, she's featured with Sebastián Yatra on the movie's single "Til You're Home."

"This really became a family gathering," Treviño said, adding: "She was always present, and she's just such a joyful presence, Rita is. She was very involved emotionally with the project, as well. Every time we did a scene, and we were there, she would come and give us feedback."

RELATED VIDEO: Rita Wilson Says That Her Last TV Binge With Husband Tom Hanks Was Curb Your Enthusiasm

Truman, 27, the youngest of Tom and Rita's four children, also gives a star-making performance in the film as the younger version of his dad's lead role.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Although Treviño is poised to win over U.S. audiences with her scene-stealing performance in A Man Called Otto, the actress has been a beloved comedic star in Mexico for more than a decade, where she got her start in the staged jukebox musical Mentiras.

"They have been so sweet with me," Treviño says of her Mexican fans. "When we had the premiere in Mexico, everyone was so excited and emotional that I got this opportunity ... Everybody's backing me and cheering for me and that's really touching for me."

A Man Called Otto is now playing in theaters.