Tom Hanks says he turned down offer from Jeff Bezos to go to space

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Tom Hanks, them Hollywood legend best known for films like "Sleepless in Seattle" and "Apollo 13," said in an interview Wednesday that Jeff Bezos, the billionaire founder of Amazon offered to fly him to space before William Shatner, but joked that he would have to pay.

The Hollywood A-lister appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and was asked about rumors that Bezos offered to fly him to space before William Shatner. Hanks confirmed the rumor.

BLUE ORIGIN / HANDOUT A screenshot taken from a live handout video on October 13, 2021 shows Jeff Bezos talks to William Shatner after Blue Origin's New Shepard crew capsule landed back in Texas. (Photo by Blue Origin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) (Photo by Blue Origin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

"And, you know, it costs, like 28 million bucks or something like that…and I’m doing good, Jimmy…I’m doing good" but he said he isn’t going to fork over that amount. (Shatner reportedly did not have to pay.)

The New York Times reported last month that the company has not publicly stated a price for a ticket, so it is possible that Hanks was referring to the auction price for one of the seats. The space company did not immediately respond to an after-hours email from Fox News.

Hanks, who famously played astronaut Jim Lovell in Ron Howard’s 1995 "Apollo 13," proceeded to jokingly "simulate" what the 12-minute experience would be like, and let’s just say Blue Origin would disagree. 

Last month, Shatner, 90, and three fellow passengers hurtled to an altitude of 66.5 miles over the West Texas desert in the fully automated capsule, then safely parachuted back to Earth. The flight lasted just over 10 minutes.

Tom Hanks arrives at Pacific Design Center on November 02, 2021 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)

He called it the "most profound experience."

"I hope I never recover from this. I hope that I can maintain what I feel now. I don’t want to lose it."

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The Wall Street Journal reported that Shatner, along with Audrey Powers, Blue Origin’s vice president of mission and flight operations, did not pay for their flight trip. The company described them as guests for the trip.

The Associated Press contributed to this report