Tom Hanks used his social media to pay a heartfelt tribute to the late astronaut Jim Lovell, whom he portrayed in the 1995 film “Apollo 13“.
Lovell was the commander of the failed 1970 mission to the Moon, which served as the basis for the film starring Hanks. In a post on Instagram, the actor praised the astronaut’s courage. Lovell died last Thursday at the age of 97.
“There are people who dare, who dream, and who lead others to places we would not go alone. Jim Lovell, who for a long time went farther into space and stayed longer than anyone else on our planet, was that kind of guy,” Hanks wrote in his post.
His journeys “were not made for wealth or fame,” he continued, “but because challenges like these are what drive the course of life — and who better than Jim Lovell to take on those journeys? On this full moon night, he departs — to the heavens, to the cosmos, to the stars.”
“Good luck on the next voyage,” Hanks concluded.
Hanks starred in “Apollo 13” alongside actors Gary Sinise, Kevin Bacon, Ed Harris, Kathleen Quinlan, and the late Bill Paxton. In the film directed by Ron Howard, Hanks immortalized one of Lovell’s most famous quotes from the mission that nearly cost him and his crew their lives.
During the mission, the astronaut reported to control: “Houston, we’ve had a problem,” which Hanks slightly altered to “Houston, we have a problem.”
Images: NASA, Universal. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
