Tom Hanks Writes Heartfelt Letter To Bullied Boy Named Corona

Tom Hanks has sent a typewriter to a boy who has been bullied because he's called Corona.

According to Australian Channel 7 news, the Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood actor wrote a kind note to eight-year-old Corona De Vries after the young Australian sent him a letter when he and wife Rita Wilson fell ill with coronavirus last month.

In his letter, Corona wrote: "I heard on the news you and your wife had caught the coronavirus. Are you OK?

"I love my name but at school people call me 'the coronavirus.' I get very sad and angry when people call me this."

The 63-year-old star — who spent several weeks quarantining in Australia, where he was working on Baz Luhrmann's Elvis Presley biopic, when he fell ill — sent a letter replying to his new friend and also included a Corona-brand typewriter, which he'd used while recovering Down Under.

He wrote: "Dear Friend Corona, Your letter made my wife and I feel so wonderful! Thank you for being such a good friend — friends make friends feel good when they are down.

"You are the only person I've ever known to have the name Corona — like the ring around the sun, a crown. 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.

"I thought this typewriter would suit you. I had taken it to the Gold Coast, and now, it is back — with you."

Hanks — who famously has a huge collection of typewriters — urged Corona to continue their correspondence with the machine. He added: "Ask a grown-up how it works. And use it to write me back."

And the actor ended the letter with a reference to the theme to his movie Toy Story. He wrote: "PS! You got a friend in ME!"