Tom Hanks Is Back On Set After Recovering From COVID-19

Six months after his COVID-19 diagnosis in March, Tom Hanks has returned to work on Baz Luhrmann's Elvis Presley biopic in Australia this week. America's dad is currently under a mandatory 14-day quarantine at a hotel in Gold Coast, Queensland, per Variety, but once his 14 days are up, he'll be allowed to start filming with Austin Butler and the rest of the cast once more. Hanks and his wife, singer Rita Wilson, were in Australia for the film when they both tested positive for COVID-19 in mid-March.

"We're back to, as Elvis liked to say, 'taking care of business!' It is a real privilege in this unprecedented global moment that Tom Hanks has been able to return to Australia to join Austin Butler and all of our extraordinary cast and crew to commence production on Elvis," Luhrmann said in a statement to Variety.

Hanks was one of the first Hollywood stars to share with the public that he had contracted the coronavirus. He and Wilson were candid throughout their recovery process, and never shied away from discussing the differing symptoms that they faced — Hanks primarily experienced body aches and fatigue, while Wilson dealt with nausea, a high fever, and a loss of her sense of taste and smell. Hanks has continued to speak out about the virus, specifically urging people to wear masks. In June, he told People that those who refuse to do what they can to slow the spread of the virus should be ashamed. "I just think shame on you," he said. "Don’t be a p*ssy, get on with it, do your part. It’s very basic. If you’re driving a car, you don’t go too fast, you use your turn signal and you avoid hitting pedestrians. My Lord, it’s common sense."

Later, speaking with The Guardian in July, the star said he didn't understand how COVID-19 precautions had become politicized. "There's really only three things everyone needs to do: wear a mask, social distance, wash your hands," he told the publication. "I know societally it's been politicized, but I don't get it, man. I don't understand how anyone can put their foot down and say: 'I don't have to do my part.'"

Hanks first shared the news of his diagnosis in a March 12 Instagram post. At the time he wrote, "Hello folks. @ritawilson and I want to thank everyone here Down Under who are taking such good care of us. We have Covid-19 and are in isolation so we do not spread it to anyone else." After quarantining in Australia for two weeks, the couple returned to the United States in late March, as production on the Elvis biopic temporarily shut down. They later tested positive for antibodies and donated their plasma to help with research for a vaccine.

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