New Delhi: Oscar-award winning actor Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson were the first Hollywood celebrities, who revealed that they got tested positive for Coronavirus. The couple was in Australia when they were diagnosed with COVID-19 last month. Hanks, who was shooting for film based on singer Elvis Presley in the ‘land Down Under’, wrote a heartwarming letter to his new penpal. The ‘Forrest Grump’ actor penned a comforting letter to an eight-year-old Australian boy, who was bullied because of his name Corona.

The boy named Corona DeVries from the Gold Coast reached out to the ‘Saving Private Ryan’ actor after he faced bullying at school. He was bullied for his name in the light of the Coronavirus pandemic, which has wreaked havoc all across the world.

"I heard on the news you and your wife had caught the coronavirus. Are you OK?"- the young boy wrote in the letter according to the news channel 9 News reported.

Also READ: Famous Personalities Who Have Tested Positive For Coronavirus

Corona Devries added that he loved his name but felt angry and sad when people called him Coronavirus.

Tom Hanks wrote back to the kid and gifted him a Corona-branded typewriter that he had brought with him to Australia during the shoot of his film.


"Your letter made my wife and I feel so wonderful! Thank you for being such a good friend. Friends make their friends feel good when they are down. I saw you on TV, even though I was back in the USA already and all healthy. Even though I was no longer sick, getting your letter made me feel even better. You know, you are the only person I've ever known to have the name Corona-like the ring around the sun, a crown. I thought this typewriter would suit you. Ask a grown-up how it works. And use it to write me back.PS-you got a friend in me," Tom Hanks wrote in his heartfelt typewritten letter.


On the professional front, Tom Hanks has several exciting projects in his kitty including 'BIOS', 'News Of The World' and 'Elvis'.

Watch this space for more updates!