Life may be like a like a box of chocolates, but for the time being, do not eat any boxes of chocolate that were handled by Forrest Gump. On Wednesday, Tom Hanks released a statement confirming that he and his wife, actress Rita Wilson, have both tested positive for coronavirus while in Australia. The beloved actor and recent Cecil B. DeMille Award recipient was down in Australia preparing to shoot Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Presley biopic, where Hanks is set to portray Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker.
In the statement, Hanks describes that he and Rita were feeling under the weather before contracting the virus. “We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches,†said Hanks. “Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the coronavirus, and were found to be positive.†Given the mass hysteria surrounding the virus, Hanks sounded cool and collected in the statement about his predicament, stating that he and Rita “will be tested, observed, and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires.†Yet another selfless act from a man who has already given us so much. If for some reason you weren’t washing your hands for at least 20 seconds before, please do it now for Tom and Rita — it’s the least we can do.