Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19), the actor posted Wednesday on his personal Instagram.
Writing from Australia, where Hanks is filming Baz Luhrmann’s as-yet untitled Elvis Presley movie for Warner Bros., the actor said: “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.”
He added: “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?”
Hanks, 63, is set to play Colonel Tom Parker in Luhrmann’s Elvis film that is in preproduction on Australia’s Gold Coast.
On March 5, Wilson performed songs from her new album Halfway to Home at Brisbane’s Emporium Hotel. On Saturday, Wilson made her debut at the Sydney Opera House. It is not yet known if Wilson was infectious then. Wilson also visited the studios of Australia’s Nine Network to tape an interview on Today Extra with David Campbell and Belinda Russell. “Nine today has taken action in line with our crisis response plan around a visit to our studio by Ms. Rita Wilson on Monday this week,” a Nine spokesperson said in a statement.
“Our actions are in line with the guidelines set out by the Government and Health Authorities. Those who were in prolonged contact with Ms. Wilson have been tested and are self-isolating for 14 days,” the Nine spokesperson added.
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In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, a Warner Bros. spokesperson confirmed that preproduction on the film has been halted after a “company member” on the Elvis production had tested positive for coronavirus and that the “individual who tested positive for COVID-19 is currently receiving treatment.”
The studio did not say how many cast and crewmembers were working with Hanks during preproduction. The film, slated for release in October 2021, stars Austin Butler as Presley and Hanks as Presley’s manager Colonel Tom Parker. The cast also includes Maggie Gyllenhaal, Rufus Sewell and Olivia DeJonge.
“We are working closely with the appropriate Australian health agencies to identify and contact anyone who may have come in direct contact with the individual. 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,” Warners said. “The individual who tested positive for COVID-19 is currently receiving treatment.”
On Feb. 28, Wilson, also 63, spoke about the coronavirus and the precautions she was taking when she attended the Women’s Cancer Research Fund’s “An Unforgettable Evening” at the Beverly Wilshire. As she walked the red carpet, Wilson, even then, was careful and cautious to keep a healthy distance from other guests. While speaking to reporters on the red carpet, she avoided air kisses and kept her arms crossed over her chest. “It’s a cautionary measure, yes,” she told THR.
The event came just after Wilson postponed a series of concerts with Sugarland’s Kristian Bush that the pair was set to perform on U.S. military bases on South Korea. “Many of those [coronavirus] cases are very, very close to one of the bases where we were going to be performing, so we’re going to postpone. We’ll do it sometime in the fall now, or maybe the spring, but we’re definitely going back because I want to do it,” she said.
COVID-19 has resulted in more than 4,600 deaths worldwide and affected more than 100,000 people in numerous countries, per Johns Hopkins University’s case tracker. On Wednesday night, the U.S. took drastic measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the country, which now has over 1,300 confirmed cases. Homeland Security officials stated that new travel restrictions would apply to most foreign nationals who have been in Europe’s “Schengen Area” at any point for 14 days prior to their scheduled arrival to the United States.
