During a press conference for his upcoming Apple TV+ movie Greyhound, the actor voiced his thoughts on how certain individuals' attitudes towards public health and safety are becoming laxer as the lockdown restrictions begin to be loosened across the country.
"There's really only three things we can do in order to get to tomorrow: Wear a mask, social distance, wash our hands," he said. "Those things are so simple, so easy, if anybody cannot find it in themselves to practice those three very basic things I just think shame on you. Dont be a pussy, get on with it, do your part."
"It's very basic," he continued. "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."
Hanks knows firsthand how important it is for people to each do their part to prevent the spread of the virus. He and his wife, actress and singer Rita Wilson, both tested positive for COVID-19 in March of this year, and were forced to self-isolate for two weeks in Australia before they could return home. They have since undergone antibody testing, and offered to donate their blood plasma to researchers in the hopes it will help them to develop a vaccine.
Other celebrities who have encouraged their fans to wear masks include Arnold Schwarzenegger, who condemned people who make a political point of not wearing their masks as "morons who can't read," and Schitt's Creek star Dan Levy, who framed the act of wearing a mask not as something inconveniencing you, but as a simple act of kindness to others.