Tom Hanks has the coronavirus. The 63-year-old actor confirmed in a statement today that he and his wife, Rita Wilson, tested positive to the disease at a hospital in Queensland, Australia, where Hanks was set to begin production on a movie about the life of Elvis Presley.
They are both currently being treated at a hospital on the Gold Coast.
Videos by VICE
The statement, which Hanks posted on Instagram alongside an image of discarded rubber gloves in a hazmat bin, reads as follows:
“Hello, folks. Rita and I are down here in Australia. We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. 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.
“Well, now. What to do next? The Medical Officials have protocols that must be followed. We Hanks’ will be tested, observed, and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires. Not much more to it than a one-day-at-a-time approach, no?
“We’ll keep the world posted and updated.
“Take care of yourselves!
“Hanx!”
The film, which was set to begin filming on Monday under the direction of Baz Luhrmann, sees Hanks playing the role of Colonel Tom Parker, the manager who groomed Elvis to stardom in the 1950s, The New York Times reports.
Warner Bros., the studio behind the film, said in a statement that “the health and safety of our company members is always our top priority, and we are taking precautions to protect everyone who works on our productions around the world.”
Australia currently has more than 120 confirmed cases of coronavirus.
