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Chet Hanks finds himself with plenty of time for reflection as he remains in Colombia.
The 35-year-old son of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, who revealed over the weekend that he is stranded in the city of Medellín without his U.S. passport to get back home, shared a lengthy 20-minute video to Instagram in which he pondered life and sobriety.
In a video update shared early Monday, March 2, he noted, “It’s 3:46 a.m. here in Medellín, Colombia. I’m trying to catch some sleep but it’s just not happening. Why? Because I’m buzzing with energy. I’m living life sober, man.”
The Running Point star reassured his audience, explaining that his sleeplessness wasn’t due to any substances. “This isn’t some drug-induced insomnia,” he clarified. “I’m celebrating nearly five years—more precisely, four and a half—of sobriety.”
Appearing shirtless and casually vaping, Chet shared an introspective moment with his followers. “There’s a ton I could say about my journey to sobriety and why I continue on this path,” he stated. “I could talk about it forever.”
He candidly expressed his thoughts, adding, “If I’m using drugs or drinking, I’m no better than a coward. I’d be like Shia LaBeouf, getting into trouble on the streets,” he remarked, alluding to the recent arrest of the Transformers star in New Orleans.
“No disrespect to Shia,” the Empire alum added. “I f**king love Shia, but I’m Shia LaBeouf all skinny, scraggly beard, getting mollywhopped in the French Quarter. Just cooked.”
Chet said that when he’s sober, he’s also LaBeouf — but the version of the actor who is dressed up and walking the red carpet.
The musician went on to explain the difference of hitting rock bottom while on substances and while completely sober, also telling fans what keeps him motivated throughout his own personal journey.
He also shared a photo update on his Instagram Story, writing on a selfie taken at the gym, “WE’RE FINE, DON’T WORRY.”
On Friday, February 27, Chet explained via Instagram that he went to Puerto Rico last week for a friend’s birthday and decided to make his way to Medellín before heading home.
Chet said he was traveling with his Greek passport because he is a dual citizen and his U.S. passport is “about to expire.”
“Sometimes they don’t let you in the country even if it hasn’t expired, but it’s about to expire,” he said to his Instagram followers. But on his way home, “They tell me that if I’m using a foreign passport, I need a green card to get back into America,” Chet said. “I don’t have a green card because I’m an American citizen.”
“I don’t have my American passport with me. So I’m literally stuck in Colombia. I’m stuck in Medellín,” he said. “So, yeah, free me. Free me.”