Kevin Bacon is joining the chorus of Tom Hanks fans wishing the actor the best after Hanks was diagnosed with coronavirus in Australia. The big difference for Bacon though is he worked with Hanks on Apollo 13 and the two are good friends. Hanks and wife Rita Wilson rested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, last week and are now quarantined at home in Australia.
“We have exchanged emails and they are very much in my thoughts,” Bacon told Entertainment Tonight Friday. “Crazy about the guy. He is not just an incredible actor, but a real great man, and Rita as well. I think it was interesting how somebody that is so beloved was so early [diagnosed]. I think now we are at a place where we are going to [hear about] a lot of people that are well known [getting coronavirus].”
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Bacon went on to praise Hanks and Wilson for telling everyone about the diagnosis instead of trying to hide it. “But the way that he came right out with it, which by the way I don’t think he needed to do, but he said, ‘This is a real thing,’ and he also said, ‘We are going to be OK,’ was very powerful and beautiful move on his part,” Bacon added. “I’m thinking about him everyday.”
Hanks, Bacon and the late Bill Paxton starred in Ron Howard’s 1995 film about the failed Apollo 13 mission to the moon. The movie, which won two Oscars and was nominated for Best Picture, celebrated its 25th anniversary this year. It continues to be an influential historical drama and is one of Howard’s best films.
“We felt that we were making something special, and I think that we were really super tapped into NASA and that story and the history of the space program,” Bacon told ET. “We could feel actual astronauts getting excited about the movie that we were making. Hanks, I think he learned so much about the space program. I think he could fly the shuttle, honestly. He would just rattle this stuff off, it blew my mind.”
Back on March 11, Hanks and Wilson revealed they tested positive for coronavirus, becoming two of the first celebrities to publicly discuss their diagnosis. They were quarantined at a hospital in Queensland, Australia for a week before they were allowed to leave. The couple are now at their Australian home.
“I have communicated with my brother,” Hanks’ sister, Sandra Hanks Benoiton, told The Daily Mail. “He’s not great, but still OK. [Am I] shocked? No. He’s an actor, not a god [but] medical care in Australia is good.”
As for Bacon, he started the #IStayHomeFor challenge to inspire others to write about why they are staying home during the coronavirus outbreak. The actor picked his wife, actress Kyra Sedgwick, as ther reason he is staying home.
“It’s now so important to stay home and keep our distance from others if you are able,” Bacon wrote on Instagram. “It’s one way we can help prevent the spread of [Coronavirus] and save lives. The more of us who can, make it safer for those who can’t. So if you’re home too like me, post a video or photo with a sign like mine, telling who you are staying home for and ask 6 friends to do the same. Post it with the hashtag #IStayHomeFor so I can see and share.”
Photo credit: Universal/Getty Images
