The idea of space tourism has gained popularity lately and has captured the attention of people all over the world. Many people want to have the ultimate space adventure, including business people and Hollywood celebrities. Even Tom Hanks can go above and beyond to fulfill his dream of going to space in order to match the illustrious William Shatner’s earlier space visit.
For the unversed, Shatner traveled into space in 2021 with Jeff Bezos in a Blue Origin suborbital craft. At 90 years old, he was one of the first 600 people to travel into space.
Note that before the Star Trek actor accepted the invitation, Bezos had first offered Tom Hanks a space flight on a Blue Origin rocket. However, the Forrest Gump star declined because he did not want to spend the astounding amount required to participate.
However, now he is willing to accept any job in order to travel to space.
Tom Hanks Would Even ‘Clean The Toilet’ For a Space Visit
Tom Hanks, whose iconic roles in films like Forrest Gump and Apollo 13 have graced our screens for decades, previously declined Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos’ invitation to fly on his Blue Origin flight.
Before William Shatner agreed to go, Bezos reportedly invited Hanks, who is said to have a $400 million net worth. But the A League of Their Own actor declined it because of the outrageous cost. But as of late, he has admitted that he would do almost anything to reach space.
He stated to The Daily Telegraph:
“I would like to be the guy in charge of serving food and making jokes to and from the moon.”
The Dragnet actor added the following suggestions:
“If there was room, I would be the guy that cleans up, makes jokes, tells stories and keeps everybody entertained. I’m your man. I would probably sign up right now.”
He even went above and beyond, saying he could “clean the toilet”, adding:
“That might be a good idea. 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.”
Why Tom Hanks Turned Down Jeff Bezos’ Space Offer?
Prior to William Shatner becoming the oldest person to travel to space on Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket, Tom Hanks previously disclosed that he had been offered a seat on the rocket. However, the Apollo 13 actor claimed he would have had to pay the $28 million price. During his earlier visit on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the 67-year-old actor said:
“Well, yeah, provided I pay! You know, it cost 28 million bucks or something like that. And I’m doing good, Jimmy, I’m doing good. But I ain’t paying 28 [million] bucks.”
He further joked:
“You know what, we could simulate the experience of going to space right now. It’s about a 12-minute flight, is that about it? We could all do it in our seats right here.”
The Philadelphia actor then mocked the experience of space travel by jokingly shaking his chair, much to the audience’s amusement:
“I don’t need to spend 28 million bucks to do that. I can do that at home.”
Hanks responded the following to Kimmel’s question about whether he would accept a free launch:
“I would do it on occasion just in order to experience the joy — pretending I’m a billionaire.”
Well, Hanks recently appeared in Wes Anderson’s movie, Asteroid City, which was released in theaters earlier this year. You can stream it on Peacock Premium.
He will next be seen in Here, a visually stunning film from Robert Zemeckis that is based on the same-named novel by Richard McGuire. The film also stars Robin Wright, Paul Bettany, and Kelly Reilly.
Source- The Daily Telegraph; Jimmy Kimmel Live!
