Tom Hanks says he declined Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin offer that would've cost him $28 mn

Veteran Hollywood actor Tom Hanks revealed on a talk show on Wednesday that he rejected Jeff Bezos' offer for a spaceflight that recently carried Star Trek actor William Shatner to space. The A-lister, in his appearance at "Jimmy Kimmel Live" revealed that apparently, he was the preferred choice before the 90-year-old Shatner but didn't make the flight as he was expected to pay a hefty fee. Opening up about the offer, Hanks said, "Well yeah, provided I pay. It costs like $28 million or something like that. And I'm doing good, Jimmy — I'm doing good — but I ain't paying $28 million. You know what, we could simulate the experience of going to space right now", as per CNN.

What was even more hilarious, was when Tom Hanks, in the name of creating a simulation of the flight, started shaking his sofa to mimic the vibrations felt when a rocket lifts off from the ground. "I don't need to spend 28 million bucks to do that", he said. The 65-year-old, who is remembered for his iconic role in and as Forrest Gump, had appeared on the talk show to promote his upcoming sci-fi movie "Finch".

It is pertinent to mention that Hanks' rejection of the offer allowed Shatner to become the oldest person to travel to space at the age of 90. Shatner broke the record previously held by wally Funk, who was 82 when she visited space. Shatner, along with three crew other crew members had lifted off aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket for a 10-minute space flight on October 12.

Image: AP