The beloved American classic Forrest Gump celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. While Tom Hanks is now synonymous with the iconic role of Forrest Gump, it might come as a surprise to many that he wasn’t the first choice to play the role. In fact, he was not the second or third choice either.
Author Winston Groom originally envisioned John Goodman for the part. He wrote Forrest as a physically imposing character who was six feet six inches tall and weighed about 240 pounds.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis and based on Groom’s novel, the film revolves around Forrest Gump, a man with a low IQ who was born with strong legs, a crooked spine and a heart of gold. Portrayed by Hanks, Forrest lives an eventful life through significant historical events, meeting notable figures along the way and accidentally causing historic moments along the way. Despite his limited intellectual capacity, Forrest’s unwavering morality and kind nature guide him through an otherwise harsh life. This feel-good dramedy is now unimaginable without Hanks at the helm. He was the perfect Forrest.
However, before Hanks secured the role, several other actors were considered. Zemeckis considered Bill Paxton, but the studios did not think he had enough star power and wanted Harry Anderson instead. But Anderson was busy and had to turn the role down, as did Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, and John Travolta. Even Matthew Broderick and Sean Penn were considered for a while. Later on, Travolta confessed that he regretted passing on the role. Hanks, on the other hand, allegedly said yes to the movie after an hour and a half of reading the script, and the rest is movie history.
Forrest Gump’s success wasn’t without its hurdles. The film faced challenges during production, with the studio hesitant to greenlight certain directorial choices, including the pivotal running sequence. Both Zemeckis and Hanks agreed to split the cost of shooting the sequence to ensure the film’s completion. Hanks had revealed, “The studio was one day away from pulling the plug on this one movie I was going to make.”
Tom Hanks’s performance as Forrest Gump remains one of the defining roles of his career. Tom Hanks’s performance as Forrest Gump remains one of the defining roles of his career. Forrest Gump clinched six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Hanks, alongside recognition for its screenplay, visual effects, and film editing. Over the years, the film’s political undertones have sparked a sharper critical debate among cinephiles. However, in 2011, the Library of Congress honoured Forrest Gump by inducting it into the United States National Film Registry, acknowledging its cultural and historical significance.
Currently, it is at the sixth spot on the top ten list of films on Netflix UK. You can watch Forrest Gump on Netflix and catch the trailer here for a dose of nostalgia:
