Audio By Carbonatix
Tom Hanks has a new penpal: an 8-year-old Australian boy called Corona, who says he has been bullied because of his name.
Corona DeVries, from Queensland, first wrote to the actor and his wife, Rita Wilson, after hearing that they had tested positive for coronavirus while in Australia.
In his letter, shown on-air Thursday by Australian news channel 9News, DeVries wrote: "I heard on the news you and your wife have caught the coronavirus. Are you ok?"
Earlier this month, DeVries told 9News that he had recently been called "coronavirus" at school.
"Coronavirus -- they kept on saying that, and I get really mad," he said. So he wrote to Hanks and Wilson, wishing them well and saying he knows what it's like to feel down.
It wasn't long before Hanks, who was the voice of "Woody" the sheriff in the "Toy Story" movies, responded -- sending DeVries a typewritten letter and the Corona-brand typewriter he had brought with him and used in Australia.
Hanks addressed his note to "Friend Corona" and expressed his gratitude for the 8-year-old's concern about his and Wilson's health.

Hanks addressed his note to "Friend Corona" and expressed his gratitude for the 8-year-old's concern about his and Wilson's health.
"Thank you for being such a good friend -- friends make their friends feel good when they are down," he added.
The actor also wrote: "I thought this typewriter would suit you.. Ask a grown up how it works. And use it to write me back."
He even included some self-addressed envelopes, to make DeVries' task a little easier.
And at the bottom of his letter, Hanks added the handwritten postscript "You got a friend in me!" -- the name of the "Toy Story" theme song.
Hanks and Wilson spent time in self-quarantine at their home in Australia after being released from hospital last month.
The couple were in Australia for pre-production work on a Baz Luhrmann film about Elvis Presley. Hanks is set to play the singer's manager, Colonel Tom Parker.
The pair returned home to Los Angeles in late March.
Latest Stories
-
A Tax for Galamsey: Akwasi Acquah slams government for failing to punish complicit officials
19 minutes -
Mahama departs Accra for AU Heads of State Summit in Addis Ababa
33 minutes -
Equip women & youth with skills for Africa’s free-trade market – Telecel Ghana CEO
1 hour -
A Tax for Galamsey: MMDCEs risk becoming weakest link in galamsey fight – Akwasi Acquah
1 hour -
A Tax for Galamsey: Let the laws bite – Rev Quaicoe demands swift punishment for offenders
1 hour -
A Tax for Galamsey: We’ve gotten to a point where brute force must be applied – Elikem Kotoko
2 hours -
A Tax for Galamsey: The anger against illegal mining is not enough – Ken Ashigbey
2 hours -
A Tax for Galamsey: The president is determined to fight this canker – Elikem Kotoko
3 hours -
Galamsey: Ken Ashigbey calls for arrest of Tano North MCE over prospective licence issuance
3 hours -
FDA clamps down on unregistered diaper products in Ho MarketÂ
3 hours -
Beyond the Hills: A different story unfolds at Ashesi University
3 hours -
Cocoa sector crisis has exposed the NDC government – Dr Amin Adam
3 hours -
A Tax for Galamsey: Gov’t should’ve been more decisive – Daryl Bosu
3 hours -
Ken Ashigbey urges more investigative journalism to curb galamsey
3 hours -
Dr Gideon Boako announces reconstruction of Yamfo Market
3 hours
