Celebrities

Tom Hanks is so desperate to go to space he’s willing “to do whatever it takes” to get there

Published on Sep 20, 2023 at 6:31 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis

Last updated on Sep 21, 2023 at 1:55 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Kate Bain

Tom Hanks is so eager to go to space he said he’s “willing to do whatever it takes” to get there.

He’s so keen, he’s even willing to “serve food or clean the toilet”.

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The two-time Oscar winner is the co-writer and narrator of The Moonwalkers, an art exhibition in London based around the stories of the Apollo space missions.

Interviewed about the exhibition in the English capital, the 67-year-old actor admitted outer space is one of his greatest obsessions.

“I would probably sign up right now [to go to space],” he said. “I’ll do all the work. I’ll clean the toilet. I’ll serve the food. I’ll fold the clothes. I’ll stow the gear. That way the others could be free to do other stuff.”

Tom Hanks Apollo 13
Universal Pictures
Tom Hanks Apollo 13
Universal Pictures

Hanks was only 13 years old when Neil Armstrong and Apollo 11 set foot on the Moon for the first time in history, but he says he still remembers.

“I walked around the day of July 20, 1969, very cognizant that I was alive at a time when the history of humankind shifted,” the Forrest Gump star said. “We were now the generation that was alive when we landed a man on the Moon.”

This was probably the main reason why, a few years later, Hanks accepted the role as astronaut Jim Lovell in Ron Howard’s docu-film Apollo 13.

Amazingly, the chance to go to space in the real world did materialize for Hanks at some point.

Amazon CEO and founder Jezz Bezos asked to join him on the New Shepherd, the private spacecraft operated by Bezos’ space travel company Blue Origin.

Tom Hanks Apollo 13
Lightroom

“He asked me to go… provided I pay! You know, it cost 28 million bucks or something like that,” Hanks told Jimmy Kimmel during an episode of the Jimmy Kimmel Live show.

“I’m doing good. But I ain’t paying $28 million bucks [for that]!” Hanks joked.

He’s certainly right when he says he’s ‘doing good’.

With a net worth of $400 million, Hanks could certainly afford the ticket, but he turned it down.

Maybe there’ll be another chance for Hanks to go to space at some point.

In the meantime, we’re certainly looking forward to his exhibition at the Lightroom at London’s King’s Cross Station.

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Experienced content creator with a strong focus on cars and watches. Alessandro penned the first-ever post on the Supercar Blondie website and covers cars, watches, yachts, real estate and crypto. Former DriveTribe writer, fixed gear bike owner, obsessed with ducks for some reason.