Tom Hanks, the renowned actor best known for his portrayal of American astronaut Jim Lovell in the 1995 film Apollo 13, has voiced his ambition to participate in a lunar mission. While promoting his immersive exhibition, The Moonwalkers, in London, Hanks expressed his wish to be a part of space travel.
A New Role for Tom Hanks
In an interview, Hanks humorously stated,
I would like to be the guy in charge of serving food and making jokes to and from the moon. 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!
Hanks even offered to take on various tasks, saying,
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’s interest in space aligns with his immersive exhibition, The Moonwalkers, which he co-wrote with BAFTA-nominated writer and director Christopher Riley. The exhibition, showcasing at the Lightroom in King’s Cross, London starting from December 6, presents a series of stories related to the Apollo missions, narrated by Hanks.
Highlighting NASA’s Artemis Program
In The Moonwalkers, Hanks conducts interviews with astronauts involved in the NASA Artemis program, praising the program for its gender equality. He lauded the fact that the Artemis team includes an equal number of men and women, emphasizing the progress it signifies. This balanced representation sets the stage for the first woman to set foot on the moon during crewed surface missions.
Hanks stated,
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. I think that says everything about the progress of humankind right there.
Artemis-II, part of NASA’s Artemis program, is scheduled to launch next November with four astronauts on a mission similar to Lovell’s and Apollo 8. This mission signifies another milestone in lunar exploration and humankind’s journey to the moon.
Hanks described The Moonwalkers as “truly the most immersive medium” he has ever witnessed, largely due to the expansive setting of the Lightroom. He was inspired by the space it offered and remarked, “You could walk onto the moon in here if you wanted to.”
He also drew inspiration from the James Webb Space Telescope’s captivating images, referring to it as a “time machine.” The Moonwalkers offers a 50-minute runtime and features an original score by Anne Nikitin, known for her work on the Apple TV+ series Hijack, starring Idris Elba.