Did Jeff Bezos Ask Tom Hanks To Pay $28M For A Blue Origin Space Flight?

Poor Jeff Bezos. First, the Amazon.com AMZN founder lost his lawsuit against NASA to stop the awarding of a lunar lander contract to rival Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Now he is being dissed in front of a television audience by Hollywood’s most likeable actor.

What Happened: Tom Hanks is no stranger to space — he played astronaut Jim Lovell in the 1995 film “Apollo 13.” But in an appearance this week on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Hanks confirmed a report that Bezos invited him to go on a Blue Origin flight to the edge of space.

"Well yeah, provided I pay," Hanks said. "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.”

Related Link: Here's The First Peek At Jeff Bezos' $500M Superyacht

What Else Happened: Hanks added that he could “simulate the experience of going to space right now” and proceeded to take a semi-horizontal position in his chair while shaking his body in mild convulsions. Hanks then simulated weightlessness by extending his arms and legs out, followed by another round of semi-horizontal convulsions.

“I don't need to spend 28 million bucks to do that,” he added.

With Hanks declining Bezos’ invitation, he paved the way for “Star Trek” William Shatner to be the first actor to fly into space – reportedly, Shatner was invited by Bezos and was not required to pay for the trip.

Hanks’ recollection of his turning down Bezos can be seen here, starting around the 5:25 mark.

Photo: Tom Hanks in "Apollo 13," courtesy of Universal Pictures.