Tom Hanks.Photo:David Livingston/Getty
David Livingston/Getty
Tom Hankshas his sights set on space — for real this time.
The actor, 67, — who famously played American astronaut Jim Lovell in the1995 filmApollo 13—shared his wish to be part of a lunar mission as he promoted his new immersiveexhibition,The Moonwalkers,in London.
“I would like to be the guy in charge of serving food and making jokes to and from the moon,” Hanks toldThe Telegraph. “If there was room, I would be the guy that cleans up, makes jokes, tells stories and keeps everybody entertained.”
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Hanks as astronaut Jim Lovell in the 1995 film “Apollo 13.".MCA/Courtesy Everett Collection
“I’m your man. I would probably sign up right now!” the actor continued. “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 clothes. I’ll stow the gear. That way the others could be free to do other stuff.”
Hanks narrates a series of stories of the Apollo missions inThe Moonwalkers, an immersive film he co-wrote with BAFTA-nominated writer and director Christopher Riley, which plays at the Lightroom in King’s Cross, London starting Dec. 6.
In the film, the actor also interviews astronauts on theNASA Artemis program, a group he praised for beingevenly split with men and women— paving the way for the first woman on the moon, as crewed surface missions return to space.
The Apollo 13 prime crew portrait.NASA Johnson Space Center (NASA-JSC)
“Four people on Artemis are going to see the Earth rise over the moon and some of them are going to be a gender other than male,” Hanks said of the team. “I think that says everything about the progress of humankind right there.”
Artemis-II is set to launch next November with four more astronauts going on the same journey as Lovell and Apollo 8.
Hanks calledThe Moonwalkers“truly the most immersive medium I’ve ever witnessed,” due to the “massive volume” of the Lightroom. He shared with theTelegraphhe was inspired after seeing the David Hockney exhibition there. “You could walk on to the moon in here if you wanted to,” Hanks explained.
The show runs from Dec. 6 to April 21, 2024. Tickets are availableonline.
source: people.com
