Forrest Gump Facts That Will Make You Watch The Movie Again

Which one of you has heard the famous line, 'Life is like a box of chocolates'?

Do you know where this iconic line comes from? It is from the movie Forrest Gump, an all-time Hollywood classic film.

When we think about the classic Hollywood movies of the early '90s, the name Forrest Gump generally comes to our mind. The film was adapted from a book named 'Forrest Gump', written by American novelist Winston Groom.

When talks began among movie production houses to turn the book into a film, the author of the 1986 novel wanted to see established screen actor John Goodman play the central role of Forrest Gump.

So grab your popcorn tray and continue reading about this much-loved screen classic.

Cast Of Forrest Gump

As many of us know, producers look for a credible casting director to make a good movie. The casting director's job is to read and understand the movie script and then work with the production team to select the actors and actresses for the roles in that particular movie.

The director of any movie gets to say the final word about the choices made by the casting director.

In the case of Forrest Gump, director Robert Zemeckis seems to have made the correct choice in opting for Tom Hanks for the role of the titular character of Forrest Gump. It should be noted here that Tom Hanks was not the first choice of Robert Zemeckis.

He wanted either John Travolta, Bill Murray, or Chevy Chase to take on the part of Forrest Gump. At one point, even the name of Sean Penn was doing the rounds.

During the initial talks of the movie, the producers of the film had their eyes fixed on John Travolta. John Travolta was a big star at that time, and the production team was confident that the film would be a success with Travolta playing the part of Forrest Gump.

Once the rest of the gang turned the role down, it went to Tom Hanks. As fate would have it, Tom Hanks bagged the role that would go on to transform him into a global movie icon.

The casting process for arguably the second most important character in the film Forrest Gump, Jenny, was also not as smooth as it may seem. We all know that actress Robin Wright played the part of Jenny with great style.

But here again, the film producers first approached Jodie Foster for the role. When Foster said no to the project, Demi Moore was asked for her response.

After Moore, too, turned down the role, actress Nicole Kidman was considered by the producers.

Insider stories talk about how Nicole Kidman was almost on the verge of signing for the film but backed out at the last moment when she was asked to appear for a screen test. In the end, Robin Wright was roped into playing Jenny in Forrest Gump.

In the film Forrest Gump, the principal character's best friend is a soldier named Bubba. This character provides Forrest Gump with the idea of venturing into the shrimp business. As a tribute to his dead friend, Forrest names his shrimping business company the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. 

Later in the movie, we find that Bubba Gump Shrimp Company has turned out to be one of the largest shrimp companies in America, making the character of Forrest Gump, a millionaire. For Bubba's part, the film producers had considered David Alan Grier, Ice Cube, and Dave Chappelle to begin with.

Rap legend Tupac Shakur had also reportedly tried to bag the role of Bubba.

Finally, actor Mykelti Williamson was selected for the part of Bubba. He had to wear a prosthetic lower lip to look more like the character of Bubba.

Forrest Gump's mother in the film, Sally Field, was the first choice of the filmmakers. She was roped in without a hassle. It is amusing that Tom Hanks and Sally Field starred in the 1988 romantic comedy film Punchline as lovers.

Towards the film Forrest Gump's end, the viewer is introduced to Forrest Gump's son, Forrest Gump Junior. For this role, the producers brought in six-year-old Haley Joel Osment.

Movie buffs would know him better from such films as 'The Sixth Sense' and 'Pay It Forward'. Before signing for the movie, the young and talented actor had appeared in a television pizza advertisement.

Other screen credits should go to the younger brother of Tom Hanks, Jim Hanks, and actor Kurt Russell.

In the movie, there are scenes where Forrest Gump is seen running across the United States for no specified reason.

The running scenes were inspired by an event in 1982 when a 16-year-old boy named Louis Michael Figueroa ran from his hometown in New Jersey to San Francisco to promote the cause of the American Cancer Society. During the making of the film, Jim Hanks filled in for brother Tom Hanks in most of the running scenes.

Many film historians find it interesting that it was Kurt Russell who lent his voice to the young Elvis Presley we find staying at Forrest Gump's house in Alabama.

Forrest Gump's business partner and former military commander in the film, Lieutenant Dan Taylor, is also a memorable character in the movie Forrest Gump. Before Gary Sinise was confirmed to play Lieutenant Dan Taylor, the name of actor Joe Pesci was thought of.

For the role of the young Forrest Gump, child actor Michael Connor Humphreys was cast. Tom Hanks would go on to borrow his fellow actor's accent for the entirety of the film.

Even the director Robert Zemeckis was not the first person Paramount Pictures thought of hiring to direct Forrest Gump. Terry Gilliam of Monty Python fame or Barry Sonnenfeld, who went on to direct hits such as 'Men in Black'.

It landed at the desk of the acclaimed director of the Back to the Future trilogy Robert Zemeckis when the others rejected the offer.

Filming Of Forrest Gump

There are plenty of scenes in Forrest Gump where the main character fights in the Vietnam War. To shoot the war scenes, the film crew selected a place in South Carolina named Fripp Island.

In later years, this place became the Ocean Creek Golf Course site. The production team had added mountains in the background of the war scenes using computer graphics.

The running scenes in the film were captured in several US states, such as Utah and Nevada. A series of running montages were filmed in Monument Valley, which lies on the border regions of Utah and Arizona.

To shoot the scenes in the film where Tom Hanks is shown sitting on a public bench next to a bus stop and narrating his life story to a handful of strangers, the film crew had to set up the bench using their own funds. The place where the shoot took place was Chippewa Square in Savannah, Georgia.

If you visit the Savannah History Museum now, you will find the same bench displayed among its artifacts!

Awards And Audience Reception

When Forrest Gump opened in premiered in American theaters on July 6, 1994, it stormed the box office. The film became an instant hit in the United States and generated huge sums of money courtesy of ticket sales.

Forrest Gump performed brilliantly in most of the American award shows in 1995. Tom Hanks won his second and back-to-back Oscars in the Leading Actor category.

He had earlier won the same award for the film Philadelphia a year before. The film dominated the Academy Awards/Oscars by winning most of the major category awards. Forrest Gump won the Best Picture award at the Oscars in 1995, along with the Best Director award for Robert Zemeckis and the Best Writing Award for writer Eric Roth.

In other prestigious award shows, such as the Golden Globes, the BAFTAs, the Screen Actors' Guild Awards, the People Choice Awards, and the National Board of Review awards, Forrest Gump emerged as the most decorated film of 1995.

Due to the massive success of Forrest Gump at the box office at both the national and international levels, the film's producers decided to make a sequel. In the second Forrest Gump, which was never made, viewers could see historical figures such as O.J. Simpson and Princess Diana sharing some good moments on the screen with Forrest Gump.

Reviews Of Forrest Gump

Although Forrest Gump has carved a unique niche for itself in American cinema history, the film did not receive the same reception across all corners of the movie fraternity after its release. According to movie critic Roger Ebert's film review of Forrest Gump, the movie was termed 'magical'.

Roger Ebert gave the film four stars in his review. Not all reviewers were kind in their assessment of the film, though.

Entertainment Weekly, a leading entertainment magazine published in the United States, awarded Forrest Gump the rating of 'C' and gave disparaging remarks about the film. The movie was written off as a fantasy drama similar to a 'theme park'.

In one of the recent reviews of Forrest Gump, published in 2014, the LA Weekly newspaper did not take a kind view of the film.

There is a scene in the movie where the real-life persona of Abbie Hoffman, played by actor Richard D'Allessandro, hands a microphone over to Tom Hanks/Forrest Gump and asks him to tell the audience about his views on the Vietnam War.

The screenplay writer of the film, Eric Roth, and the director, Robert Zemeckis, had intentionally skipped the part where Forrest Gump talked about his political views on America's foreign policies. LA Weekly has adjudged this move by the creators of the film as meek and silly.

The columnist of the LA Weekly further added that despite having a lot of promise, Forrest Gump failed to raise major issues through the narratives generated through the plot.

FAQs

What is so special about Forrest Gump?
Forrest Gump is a special movie because it shows how a below-average man can venture into an unknown world and achieve unprecedented success.

Is Forrest Gump a true story?
No, Forrest Gump is not a true story. It was adapted from the fictional novel Forrest Gump, authored by Winston Groom.

What disability does Forrest Gump have?
Forrest Gump had to wear leg braces as a child, most likely due to polio. The young Forrest was also depicted as having some mental deficiencies and a very low IQ.

Who is Forrest Gump in real life?
Forrest Gump is a fictional character played by Tom Hanks in the movie of the same name.

How long did Forrest Gump take to film?
Filming for Forrest Gump began in the month of August 1993 and was wrapped up in December of the same year.

How many presidents did Forrest Gump meet?
Forrest Gump meets with three US Presidents during the course of the film. They are Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard Nixon.

Who is Forrest Gump in real life?
The military veteran of the US Army, Sammy Lee Davis, is often considered the real-life Forrest Gump.