The Main Character
Several well-known actors turned down the opportunity to play Forrest Gump. Tom Hanks accepted the role after John Travolta, Bill Murray, and Chevy Chase declined to do so. Travolta declined the role so he could star in Quentin Tarantino’s dark comedy crime movie Pulp Fiction, for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
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While Chevy Chase may still be beating himself up over his decision, Travolta seems to have made the right choice. Pulp Fiction helped the struggling actor revive his career and regain his status as an A-lister.
Tom Hanks’ Career
Tom Hanks personified Gump’s character wonderfully, and it’s a good thing that he was chosen for this role. Not only was he allowed to be in the cast of an award-winning movie, but it also paved the way for him to become a dramatic actor. This role marked a major turning point in Hanks’ acting career.
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Though Hanks was already an established actor when the movie was released, his career reached new heights after that. He would go on to star in everything from epic war movies like Saving Private Ryan to animated comedies like Toy Story and even rom-coms like You’ve Got Mail.
An Award-Winning Movie
Tom Hanks won Best Actor at the 67th Academy Awards for his role in Forrest Gump. The movie also won five other Academy Awards that same year: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Visual Effects, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.
Source: Getty Images photo by Frank Trapper
Forrest Gump was also nominated for seven Golden Globes and won three of them: Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama, Best Director – Motion Picture, and Best Motion Picture – Drama. The beloved film also won several other awards and was included in many of the American Film Institute’s top lists.
Sally Field as Mrs. Gump
Sally Field, who played Forrest Gump’s mother in the movie, is just ten years older than Tom Hanks. She was made to look older than she actually was with the help of a gray wig and some makeup. Interestingly, the two previously starred in the 1988 comedy-drama Punchline, where Field played Hanks’ love interest.
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We can only imagine what Field must have thought when she learned that she was going to play her former on-screen partner’s mother in this movie. The first few days of filming must have been quite awkward!
The Gump Residence
If you’re hoping to see Forrest Gump’s childhood home on your next trip to Alabama, you’ll be disappointed. The house that was used in the movie – a large, old southern farmhouse – was built in South Carolina, and it was completely demolished after filming had ended.
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However, you can still visit the place where the house was built. The Gump residence, along with Jenny’s farmhouse, was built on the Bluff Plantation on Twickenham Road, just southeast of Yemassee, a small town in Beaufort and Hampton counties in South Carolina.
Tom Hanks’ Earnings
Instead of receiving a salary, Tom Hanks agreed to a share of the movie’s earnings. This turned out to be a wise decision for Hanks, given that the movie raked in more than $677 million at the box office.
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After winning an Academy Award for Best Actor, Hanks became the second actor to win the award for two straight years. A year earlier, he won the award for his role in Philadelphia. Robert Zemeckis, the movie’s director, also saw great success. To this day, Forrest Gump is his highest-grossing movie.
Haley Joel Osment's Acting Debut
Haley Joel Osment was a child actor who appeared in numerous dramas and thrillers in the 1990s, including the 1999 psychological thriller The Sixth Sense. Osment made his acting debut at age six in Forrest Gump, where he played Forrest Gump, Jr.
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Osment, now an adult, would describe Hanks years later as “a great first cinema Dad.” In 2011, Osment graduated from the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. These days, Osment continues to act in both movies and TV shows.
Trying To Be Normal
Ever noticed how Forrest always had his eyes closed in every picture taken of him throughout the movie? The reason this keeps happening has something to do with Hanks and the director wanting to create a convincing character with odd quirks and habits. Hanks wanted to convey someone who was focusing way too hard on being “normal.”
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Forrest’s peculiar habit was ultimately Hanks’ idea. This is just one of many easter eggs that viewers may overlook unless they pay close attention to the movie. It also shows Hanks’ dedication to his craft.
Jim Hanks
Quite often, actors need a body double for physically demanding scenes. While it’s not always easy to match the actors, the industry usually finds a way. Luckily, the Forrest Gump crew did not have to look very far for a suitable double for Hanks. For many of the running scenes, Tom Hanks’ younger brother Jim was his body double.
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Jim Hanks was a great runner back then. He also resembled his brother (obviously). However, not only do they look the same, but they sound the same, too. Jim would sometimes substitute for his brother in several Toy Story video games if the actor wasn’t available.
My Name Is Forrest Gump
One of the movie’s most iconic lines – “My name is Forrest Gump. People call me Forrest Gump.” – wasn’t even in the script. The line was ad-libbed by Hanks, and Robert Zemeckis loved it so much that he decided to keep it in the movie. Forrest says this line in the scene where he meets Bubba for the first time.
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Anyone who knows anything about movies will know that the line was a nod to the famous James Bond line, “My name is Bond, James Bond.” While we admire Gump’s kindness and work ethic, he lacks Bond’s suave attitude, which is what makes the line so memorable.
The Reporter
One lucky tourist from Atlanta got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to star in what would become one of America’s most beloved movies. The tourist played the reporter who interviewed Forrest when he visited Washington DC to receive his Medal of Honor.
Source: Getty Images Photo by Sunset Boulevard
The man was visiting DC with his wife at the time. The producers spotted him and asked him to read the script. He reportedly read the lines so well that he ended up getting cast in the movie.
The Medal of Honor
The scene where Forrest receives his Medal of Honor looks quite realistic. This is because the creators used real footage of American soldier Sammy L. Davis receiving his Medal of Honor from President Lyndon B. Johnson. Hanks’ head was superimposed over that of Davis.
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Davis enlisted in the US Army in 1965. Two years later, he was sent to South Vietnam and was assigned to Battery C, 2nd Battalion, 4th Artillery Regiment, 9th Infantry Division. He received his Medal of Honor on November 19th, 1968, a year and a day after his unit fell under heavy mortar attack and machine-gun fire west of Cai Lay.