Tom Hanks starred in a 1994 movie that has been popular with viewers ever since. Forrest Gump provides certain things for all die-hard cinephiles, with hints of amour, chronicle contexts, disputes, and action. There are possibly a number of aspects about the 1994 film that you might not have noticed yet, regardless of whether you’re fascinated enough to rewatch it every day. How many of these interesting tidbits about Forrest Gump were you aware of?
1. Hanks made the brilliant decision to decline payment for the filming
Tom Hanks chose not to accept the salary when he agreed to feature in the firm, and rather requested a share of the profits. The actor made a great decision because the movie grossed more than $677 million as a result.
According to some sources, Hank reportedly ended up making more than $60 million. The Hollywood star became the 2nd actor to be awarded 2 consecutive Oscars for Best Actor thanks to his work in this and the previous film, Philadelphia (1993).
2. The movie’s reception from critics was inconsistent
When the movie originally came out in cinemas, several critics weren’t so enthusiastic about it. Now, if you’re among those who don’t like the movie, you’ll definitely get pitying looks and a barrage of inquiries. Of course, there were some detractors of the fan-favorite film that is currently ranked #11 on IMDb Top 250 Films.
The movie received a “C” grade from Entertainment Weekly, which claimed that it “reduced the tumult of the last few decades to a virtual-reality theme park: a baby-boomer version of “Disney’s America.” When LA Weekly saw the movie again in 2014, they published a pretty negative review that began, “The film is so afraid to dredge up debate that when Abbie Hoffman hands Forrest the microphone at an anti-war rally, someone unplugs the speakers so we can’t hear him—fitting for a movie with nothing to say.” Geez.
3. After the movie, Mykelti Williamson was unable to find himself employed
That was something Williamson, who portrayed Bubba, acknowledged upon sharing with USA Today, “I couldn’t get a job after Forrest Gump. The industry didn’t realize that I was wearing a lip device and that I was the same guy who had appeared in 11 TV series. They thought the director had discovered some weird-looking guy and put him in front of a camera.”
Since viewers expected a “weird-looking guy” to be presented in front of them, they were astonished when Williamson made televised appearances. Later, he was hired to feature in a number of iconic masterpieces, including Con Air, Hear, and lately Fences.
4. Some of the sequences were covered directly by Hanks and the filmmaker
Some of the most well-known running scenes in the movie were nearly excluded. In fact, money problems nearly caused the entire movie to be abandoned.
Tom Hanks shared with Yahoo Movies: “The studio was one day away from pulling the plug on this one movie I was going to make, and the director came to my house and said, ‘Look, this is going to fall apart because they won’t give us the budget for shooting this one sequence, and we’ve got to have this sequence.”
Hanks and filmmaker Robert Zemeckis chose to divide the cost of filming the running montage in order to preserve the movie, 48 hours prior to its scheduled discontinuation.
5. When Forrest’s microphone cut off, he was in fact speaking
Do you remember the sequence in Washington, D.C., in which Forrest is called up on stage and asked to talk about his time in Vietnam? A nearby police officer switches off the speaker as he approaches the microphone, thus you cannot listen to what he speaks.
Given that the viewers cannot listen to him; you would have assumed that his mini-monologue wasn’t included in the script. Hanks did, nonetheless, acknowledge that he had lines in this sequence, and they were: “Sometimes when people go to Vietnam, they go home to their mommas without any legs. Sometimes they don’t go home at all. That’s a bad thing. That’s all I have to say about that.”
6. You might have missed some minor bloopers throughout the movie
Despite the fact that screenwriters and producers made an effort to be as chronically precise as they could, there are still a few small errors that viewers have pointed out throughout time. The song “Get Down Tonight,” for instance, wasn’t published before 1975, yet the scene when Jenny is shown experimenting in drug use while listening to it was assumed to happen in 1974.
Additionally, the Statue of Liberty is seen carrying a golden torch when Jenny comes to see Forrest on July 4th in 1976, although the gold wasn’t attached to the statue until it was restored in 1986. Furthermore, there was a tiny mistake at the moment Forrest catches the masses of shrimp and loads the hoards onto his boat. And by the time they are bought in the market, they are already decapitated and deceased. Of course, Hollywood does have flaws sometimes.
7. Hanks was just 10 years younger compared to Sally Field
Sally Field portrays Mrs. Gump, Forrest Gump’s mom, and things appear that the makeup staff did a superb job of fooling the viewers about how old she actually is. Field and Hanks were just a decade different in age in reality, despite the fact that it was done to make Field appear she was much older than Hanks.
After playing a couple in a comedy movie previously, it must have been strange for Field and Hanks to portray mother and son. Forrest Gump was released following the completion of the 1988 movie Punchline by the 2 actors. The comedy centers on Hanks’ Steven Gold and Field’s Lilah Krytsick, his love interest. Whether it was a strange transition or not, they handled the character interactions in both films flawlessly.
8. When Hanks agreed to star in the movie, he had one requirement
Hanks was about to agree to star in the movie, only 1.5 hours after seeing the script, with just one term: He needed assurances from the filmmakers that the chronicle details are preserved as accurately as possible.
A lot of folks simply concluded that the video showing Forrest interacting with John Lennon and others was completely computer generated. But the video you’re watching is actually old footage of these people with Hanks added digitally.
For instance, the video used to portray John Lennon on The Dick Cavette Show was actually shot on September 11, 1971. His wife, Yoko Ono, who was seated next to him in the source footage, is substituted by Hanks in the film, with the help of visual aids.
9. Blue checkered shirts represent a change and transformation
Have you ever seen the movie and thought how frequently Forrest is wearing blue checkers? This is symbolic of several changes in his life and wasn’t done out of laziness on the part of the costume designers. In order to represent a shift in time, Forrest dons a new variation of a blue checkered shirt in the opening sequence of each age transition in the movie.
When Forrest’s son boards the bus at the conclusion of the film, he’s also sporting a blue checkered shirt. Although the movie’s cast and crew haven’t explained the reason for this, when the audience found it, it turned into a humorous Easter egg.
10. Most of the running was done by Hanks’ brother
Jim Hanks, Tom’s younger brother, resembles him both physically and vocally. Tom patterned Forrest’s mannerisms on the eccentricities developed by his brother Jim, for the part of Jeeter in Buford’s Beach Bunnies, as disclosed by A Current Affair in 1995. According to the magazine, Hanks stole several of his more well-known habits from Jim, including his currently-famous “jerky run.”
Jim is, in fact, jogging in several of the wide views you see of Forrest running in the film. Jim has previously assumed the roles of some of Hanks’ parts, too. He frequently fills in for his sibling as Sheriff Woody in Toy Story video games and spin-offs thanks to the resemblance between their voices.
11. In each image of Forrest Gump in the movie, his eyes were closed
It doesn’t matter how many times you have watched the movie, it’s still possible to neglect this. The next time you view it, bear this in mind. Take a close look at each photo taken of Forrest during the movie. Have you observed anything? His eyes are always closed when he’s photographed.
Hanks explains that Forrest tries his best to stand up straight and appear natural that he cannot remember to keep his eyes open for the photographs. This humorous character feature was chosen by Hanks himself. Another tiny Easter egg demonstrating the level of consideration Hanks placed into creating a completely distinctive persona in Forrest.
12. Many celebrities declined the role of Bubba
When the audition for the role of Bubba started, the Forrest Gump executives contacted a variety of famous people, offering the role to Ice Cube, Dave Chappelle and even David Alan Grier, but none of them accepted. Chappelle later said that, in light of the film’s commercial achievements, he now regrets passing up the opportunity.
The comedic legend would have enjoyed great accomplishment with the movie because it would have given him more exposure. By chance, Chappelle later appeared as Tom Hanks’ sidekick in the 1998 movie You’ve Got Mail.
13. The cross-country run was inspired by real events
Forrest Gump sets off on a journey across the nation and completes it at least 4 times during the most crucial scenes of the film.
Despite the fact that a lot of other individuals traveled across the nation on foot numerous times prior to the movie’s premiere, Forrest’s quest was motivated by a specific person. The renowned phrase, “When I got tired, I slept. When I got hungry, I ate. When I had to go, you know, I went” was first uttered by this one.
At the age of 16, Louis Michael Figueroa traveled from the east coast to the west coast of the nation on foot, in an effort to raise funds and awareness for the American Cancer Society. Figueroa is the youngest and quickest individual to complete the journey, as per multiple reports.
14. The writers of the film have an unproduced sequel
Sharing with USA Today, Eric Roth, Tom Hanks, and director Robert Zemeckis all acknowledged that a sequel draft already exists. The moment they were questioned about Forrest’s experiences in the follow-up, they described how he meets O.J. Simpson and Princess Diana
Hanks thinks that Forrest “would have chatted up both Mark Zuckerberg and the Winklevoss twins about how it would be nice if you had a book that would show a person’s face and make a friend.” Additionally, they think Forrest would have helped with Hurricane Katrina recovery attempts and would have been the catalyst for the Navy SEALs’ discovery of Osama bin Laden. Can we please start making this happen now?
15. Jenny’s role wasn’t initially considered for Robin Wright
The actress’ performance as Jenny received acclaims from all quarters and nominations for both a Screen Actors Guild and a Golden Globe award. Despite the fact that playing Jenny appears to be a largely sought-after position, prominent actresses declined offers to do so. Nicole Kidman refused to take a screen trial, while both Demi Moore and Jodie Foster declined it.
Since her breakthrough performance as Kelly Capwell in the NBC Daytime soap opera Santa Barbara, Wright has enjoyed a very successful career. She has played several significant parts since Jenny, such as Claire Underwood in the Netflix political series House of Cards, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Television Series, and Lt. Joshi in the Blade Runner 2049 film.
16. While it is believed that Jenny passed away from HIV/AIDS, there are fan hypotheses that contradict this
One final query about the film remains unclarified after the credits have rolled. In what way does Jenny die? In these scenes, the movie deviates from the book since Jenny doesn’t pass away in it; rather, she’s eventually rejoined with Forrest and their kid.
When questioned by CBC if Jenny’s passing was caused by AIDS or not, Robert Zemeckis responded, “It could have been, but it didn’t matter. I mean… everyone thought that because it was so topical in the era… but we never said it. We never said it in the movie. We didn’t want that to be, you know, the issue.”
Despite the fact that a lot of individuals simply believed that Jenny did pass away from HIV/AIDS, several fans have indicated a flaw in this hypothesis. However, if Jenny contracted HIV/AIDS via a contaminated needle during her time as a party girl, Forrest and Forrest Jr. must have been impacted as well. Nonetheless, it appears that we will never be given the proper clarification because Zemeckis denies confirmation of this hypothesis.
17. Tom Hanks wasn’t the first choice for Forrest Gump
The idea that someone who isn’t Tom Hanks would take on the role of Forrest Gump nowadays seems absurd, yet the actor wasn’t the studio’s initial pick. They were thinking about John Travolta for the part. Bill Murray and Chevy Chase were also given the part after Travolta declined it, but they both declined it as well.
Travolta acknowledged that passing up the opportunity mentioned only to play the lead in Quentin Tarantino’s critically acclaimed crime movie Pulp Fiction was a grave error. Aside from all these well-known actors, Winston Groom, the creator of the source book, advocated for John Goodman because he thought the actor may make the ideal Forrest.
18. The accent heard in the film was produced by Hanks himself
Forrest Gump’s gradual southern intonation throughout the movie is perfect, we must concede, yet where does it come from?
On The Graham Norton Show in 2015, Hanks confessed that Micheal Conner Humphreys, who plays Forrest Gump’s kid version, was the inspiration for the accent. Humphreys struggled to mimic Tom Hanks’ speech pattern so as to maintain the character’s mannerisms because of his tremendously strong Mississippi accent.
Hanks shared, “Somewhere I have cassettes, hours and hours of me just making chit chat with a very young Michael Conner Humphreys. He was like seven, eight years old. He was a young man, and that was the vernacular that we spoke in and that was priceless.”
19. Initially, Martin Luther King Jr. was part of a scene.
If you have already watched the movie, you’re already aware of how Forrest Gump influenced American history. We are aware that he interacted with famous people like John Lennon and Elvis Presley, yet there is also a sequence involving another critical person that was left off the final cut.
Martin Luther King Jr. was included in a scenario where Forrest meets him and his followers just as police dogs are about to attack. When the savage hounds are let out, King is approached by them, but Forrest blocks their path. With the dogs, he starts playing fetch before directing them away. Then Forrest speaks to King, “Sorry to interrupt your parade. They’re just dogs and they don’t know any better.” The scene is available in the exclusive collector’s edition of the movie.
20. In the movie, only American bands play the music
On the official soundtrack, there are around 32 well-known songs, and there are many more in the film. It was intentional for every band to have American roots, as you will observe.
The Los Angeles Daily News was informed by executive music producer Joel Sill, “All the material in there is American. Bob [Zemeckis] felt strongly about it. He felt Forrest wouldn’t buy anything not American.” When the soundtrack first came out, fans cherished it, and 12 million copies were sold worldwide.
The band Fleetwood Mac is the lone exception to the American topic; although they were born in England, they nonetheless made the music for the Special Collector’s Edition soundtrack, which was released in 2001.
21. The well-known benches were dislocated from their initial places
The renowned park benches sequences from the film were filmed in The Square in Savannah, Georgia. A feather flies through The Square in the movie’s very first frame and rests at the foot of a park bench in Chippewa Square.
The seat that Forrest uses to narrate is a movie prop taken out and put in the Savannah History Museum. Nevertheless, tourists remain loving to shoot pictures in the location where the bench used to be. Should you choose to visit it, remember to carry a box of chocolates.
22. One of the movie’s most memorable lines was improvised by Hanks
One of the most frequently quoted films of all time is Forrest Gump. The saying “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get,” is ranked at the 40th entry on AFI’s list of “100 years – 100 movie quotes.” Even after the movie’s premiere, the phrase amusingly prompted admirers to send Tom Hanks boxes of chocolates.
Aside from that, another of Gump’s well-known quotes wasn’t even included in the original screenplay. The phrase “My name is Forrest Gump. People call me ‘Forrest Gump’” was Hanks’ idea, invited on the stage. Zemeckis chose to include it because he found it amusing and appropriate for Gump’s persona.
23. The entire movie was shot in South Carolina and Georgia
To create this box office hit, it’s not necessary to cross the globe. Vietnam, as depicted in Forrest Gump, was really filmed in Savannah, Georgia, and the area around Beaufort, South Carolina. CGI was used to add the “mountains” that appear in the background, giving the scene a more Vietnamese look.
The village of “Greenbow, Alabama,” was in fact filmed 35 miles northwest of Beaufort in a small community named Varnville. Amidst Varnville and Beaufort, on the Bluff Plantation, stood Forrest and Jenny’s residences. The homes were constructed specifically for the movie shooting. Both of the residences were demolished once the movie was finished.
24. Forrest plays table tennis without ever blinking
The details really do make the difference in Forrest Gump. The moment you see this movie again, make sure to notice this amusing side story, which starts when Forrest is studying table tennis in the Army hospital.
The fellow soldiers of Forrest instruct him to focus on the ball while receiving guidance. As usual, Forrest interprets this guide literally and doesn’t blink anytime he is seen playing. This is only an additional character choice that Hank himself made, serving as further evidence that nobody else might have portrayed Forrest in such a memorable way.
25. The ping pong balls weren’t actually present
Do you ever see the movie and ask yourself how many times Hanks trained himself hard before being that skilled at ping pong? Hanks was himself a very good player in this category, which certainly helped, yet he was far from being world-class.
Thus, in what way did the producers solve this minor issue so fast? Since there were no ping pong balls at all, Hank didn’t need to practice anything. Animation of Forrest’s incredible ping pong skills of the most obvious instances of the movie’s heavy reliance on CGI.
26. In recent years, Bubba Gump Shrimp has experienced tremendous success
In the movie, Forrest Gump utilizes his large fortune to honor his pledge to Bubba, his former buddy. The Bubba Gump Shrimp Company sprung onto the screen in 1995. Following the success of the movie, Paramount Pictures and Rusty Pelican Restaurants Inc. teamed up to open the first Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in Monterey, California.
Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. had grown to a phenomenal 40 locations operating globally by July 2015. The locations are spread throughout 29 different countries: 29 in the United States, 4 in Mexico, 3 in Japan, 3 in Columbia, 1 in London, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Canada, the Marianas, and the Philippines.
27. U.S. artists had a big impact on the film
Well-known U.S. artist Norman Rockwell created pictures that brilliantly captured his country’s culture. Society admired his work because they thought it did such a great job of portraying the spirit of the patriotic American. Zemeckis based the fictional village of Greenbow on Rockwell’s artwork. Even other scenes were styled to mimic some of the artwork and graphics.
The moment Forrest is waiting outside the principal’s office is one that immediately comes to mind. The similarities between this and Rockwell’s “Girl With a Black Eye,” which it attempts to imitate, are startling. Indeed, the movie had inspiration from more than just Rockwell. The picture in the moment in which Jenny sobs in front of her abusive father’s house is designed to resemble Andrew Wyeth’s painting “Christina’s World.”
28. The identity of who voiced Elvis in the film remains a mystery
Forrest performs some dance moves as a bizarre young guy plays guitar, undoubtedly intended to be Elvis Presley. Because the actor isn’t identified in the movie’s credits, fans have remained unclear of his identity.
Kurt Russell is credited with providing the voice by some fans, and IMDb, as he has expertise in doing so thanks to his role as The King in the 1979 movie Elvis. Others think the voice is from actor Peter Dobson, though neither Paramount nor Russell have ever acknowledged this. Paramount hasn’t endorsed any of these performers.
29. Following the portrayal of Lieutenant Dan, Gary Sinise became an advocate for veterans
Gary Sinise received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Lieutenant Dan Taylor, a part for which he had a great deal of enthusiasm. Sinise devoted a significant portion of his life to fighting for veterans after realizing that his performance in the part connected him to other veterans in the United States.
He established the Gary Sinise Foundation in 2011, which offered initiatives to support the development of particularly designed smart houses for injured veterans. Additionally, he serves as the band’s frontman and has played in both battle zones and military locations. He attributes the role to altering his life. He was even motivated to create a novel by it.
30. The reporter in Washington D.C. was merely a visitor
After serving in the Vietnam War, Forrest ends up in Washington, D.C., where he is unexpectedly accosted by an interviewer. The person who performed the role was actually an unassuming visitor who was out on the street with his wife, contrary to what you might expect a Hollywood star to portray.
The man consented to be in the sequence as the cast approached him, gave him the script, and began filming him. What a fantastic tale that person might tell his pals back home. Imagine seeing a city one moment and appearing in a big-budget movie afterwards.
31. Haley Joel Osment makes his debut in Forrest Gump
The actor has appeared in high-profile box office hits like The Sixth Sense and A.I. Artificial Intelligence, yet Forrest Gump was where he earned his big breaks as “Little Forrest.” Only 2 mins of his character’s screen time in the film seemed sufficient to draw everybody’s attention.
Osment had only made his appearance in a Pizza Hut ad prior to featuring in his first film. He had a very successful film career from an early age, and was even called “one of the best young actors of this generation,” becoming the first man from the millennial generation to be nominated for an Oscar for acting.
