A post shared by Kyriakos Mitsotakis (@kyriakos_) on Jul 25, 2020 at 11:02pm PDT
Prokopis Pavlopoulos, the former president of Greece, signed an honorary naturalization order that allowed Hanks and Wilson to claim Greek citizenship after they assisted victims of a wildfire near Athens in 2018, according to AP News.
The outlet reported that honorary naturalization is given to those "who have provided exceptional services to the country or whose naturalization serves the public interest."
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Hanks celebrated the news via Twitter in January, writing, "Starting 2020 as an Honorary citizen of all of Greece! Kronia pola! ( more or less, 'happy year!'). Hanx."
A post shared by Rita Wilson (@ritawilson) on Jan 3, 2020 at 2:46pm PST
The couple's ties to the European country are deeply rooted.
Wilson was raised in a Greek Orthodox household, and Hanks converted to the religion 32 years ago when he married the singer. They've since purchased a property on the island of Antiparos and often spend their summers vacationing there.
"Greece is a haven. My family goes to Greece. I've been around the world. I've been to the most beautiful places in the world. None of them tops Greece — the land, the sky, the water. It's good for the soul. It's a healing place," he said at the 2020 Golden Globe Awards.
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Wilson and Hanks have even used Greece and its culture as an inspiration for their work.
The couple teamed up to produce "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" (2002), a romantic comedy following a Greek American woman that falls hard for a non-Greek man, and its 2016 sequel.
Wilson and Hanks also produced a film adaptation of "Mamma Mia!" (2008), a star-studded musical filmed in Greece, along with its 2018 sequel.
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