The COVID-19 pandemic has affected people from all walks of life, including celebrities. Case in point, back in March, Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, both tested positive for the coronavirus while they were in Australia for Hanks to shoot Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming Elvis biopic. The two made a full recovery and returned to the United States by the end of March, and like many folks, they’ve continued to socially distance so as not to go another round with this disease.
Alas, America’s dad isn’t so much mad, but definitely disappointed with how the United States has been handling the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically with the people who are refusing to wear masks while out in public. As the actor recently said during a press conference promoting his new movie Greyhound, which CinemaBlend attended:
There’s really only three things we can do in order to get to tomorrow: Wear a mask, social distance, wash our hands. Those things are so simple, so easy, if anybody cannot find it in themselves to practice those three very basic things – I just think shame on you. Don’t be a pussy, get on with it, do your part. It’s very basic. If you’re driving a car, you don’t go too fast, you use your turn signal and you avoid hitting pedestrians. My Lord, it’s common sense.
With a firmly worded statement like that, I’m surprised Tom Hanks didn’t send us to our rooms… figuratively speaking. Still, considering what he’s been through, along with just caring for the general well being of others, I can understand why he’s so frustrated. Hanks brought up the mask issue while comparing the thematic parallels of what the characters in Greyhound deal with to the pandemic-related troubles we’re dealing with in real life.
As for his current health, Tom Hanks said that he and Rita Wilson are still doing fine, and that their initial bout with COVID was just 10 days of “very uncomfortable symptoms” that were never life-threatening. In addition to having talked about his and Rita Wilson’s struggles with the coronavirus on various other occasions, Hanks has also donated plasma at least twice in order to help medical professionals develop a coronavirus vaccine.
It should also be noted that Tom Hanks is far from the only celebrity who’s advocating for people to wear masks. Check out what Legally Blonde actress Reese Witherspoon posted:
Even Arnold Schwarzenegger has made it abundantly clear that he’s pro-mask with his social media posts and deciding to not frequent Gold’s Gym after learning that members weren’t required to wear masks while working out. For those of you who are already donning masks when outside of your homes, keep in mind that there are plenty of ways you can spice up the face coverings, from going the Baby Yoda route to channeling The Dark Knight Rises’ Bane.
You can see Tom Hanks next in Greyhound, which hits Apple TV+ on July 10. Elvis, which also stars Austin Butler, Olivia DeJonge, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Rufus Sewell and Yola, has been pushed to November 5, 2021. You can keep track of others movies that have been delayed over the last several months with our handy guide.
