We Bet You Never Knew These Interesting Facts About “Forrest Gump”

Forrest Gump barely needs an introduction. In 1994, Robert Lee Zemeckis directed the cult classic which was adapted from a novel by Winston Groom and Tom Hanks played the leading role. There are few films that can make us laugh and cry all at the same time but Forrest Gump achieves this rare feat. Tom Hanks gave the performance of his career and fans found themselves quoting the movie more often than any other feature. Even if you have seen the movie more times than you can count, there are some details that even the most committed superfan may miss. Read on to discover some lesser-known interesting facts about the legendary movie. We can guarantee we will surprise you. Bubba Gump Did Not Exist Before The Movie In the film, Gump's friend Bubba, dreamt of becoming the king of the shrimp business. Tragically, Bubba died in the Vietnam war before he was able to achieve his dream. Later on, Forrest Gump paid tribute to his friend by fulfilling the dream on his behalf. In the United States, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. is an international restaurant chain. In front of every single joint, there is a bench with Forrest's suitcase on it and his snickers below. Funnily enough, the restaurant chain didn't actually exist before the movie came out. The Movie Contains Real Life Footage Some real life footage made it into the final cut of the movie. In 1968, Sammy L. Davis was recorded receiving his Medal of Honor from Lyndon B. Johnson in honor of his services. In the film, Forrest Gump receives his Medal of Honor for his services in Vietnam too. The footage they used of the ceremony is the same footage as the recording of Sammy L. Davis. They superimposed Forrest Gump's head onto Sammy's body to make it look like he was actually standing with the president. The War Scenes Were Filmed On A Golf Course The most shocking scenes in Forrest Gump are without a doubt the ones that take place on the battlefield. The muddy ground, jungles and swamps all depict the terrible conditions of the Vietnam War. These scenes were not filmed in Vietnam, however, but were filmed on a golf course on Fripp Island, which is just off South Carolina's coast. They used CGI to make the gold course look like a jungly war scene and we would never have guessed that the set is used for rich people to play golf the rest of the year. Tom Hanks Borrowed Forrest Gump's Accent Part of Forrest Gump's charm is the unique accent that Tom Hanks adopts throughout the movie. Hanks actually borrowed the accent from his co-star, Michael Connor Humphrey. Humphrey played the young Forrest in the film and Hanks became quite fond of the way he spoke. In the end, him and his team agreed that the grown-up Forrest should speak in the strange accent as well. Tom Hanks won a Best Actor Academy Award for his role while Humphrey received the Young Artist Award for his valuable contributions. Blue Fabric Achieved Lieutenant Dan's Injuries Lieutenant Dan is a crucial character in the movie. He puts on a tough facade but deep down, he is actually quite venerable. Dan is played by Garry Sinise, who did a fantastic job portraying his character. At the time the movie was filmed, Hollywood did not have the high budget special effects that it has to day. The team subsequently used blue fabric to conceal Garry's lower legs and create the illusion that he is missing the lower part of his legs. Robin Wright Was Ill During Her Scene One of the most memorable scenes of the movie is the scene in the nightclub. Robin Wright performed a long and spectacular scene for which she was instructed to wear hardly any clothes. On the day, Robin had a terrible cold. The scene had to be perfect and so she spent the entire day shooting, just so she could finish her bit. Despite her bad cold, Robin's professionalism led her to give the perfect performance which made the final cut of Forrest Gump. The Ping-Pong Match Uses CGI Do you remember the scene with the ping pong match? The characters managed to give a professional level game and had the ball bouncing faster than our eyes could follow. This scene was not achieved using stunt doubles, nor did the actors receive training. Instead, the producers decided to edit the ball in using CGI after the shot had been filmed. The actors were instructed to move their paddles as if they were hitting a ball and the ball itself was added later. The Prosthetic Team Are Responsible For Bubba's Lip Each character in Forrest Gump has at least one distinctive feature. Forrest of course has many, but is his accent which most people remember him for. For Bubba (Mykelti Williamson), this feature is his jutting lip. The lip was actually a prosthetic which was fitted prior to each scene to make it look as realistic as possible. The deception was obviously successful as after the movie was released in theatres, people were confused when they saw Williamson without the lips he has in the movie. Mykelti Williamson's Performance Was Too Convincing Everyone in Forrest Gump gave a terrific performance but one actor gave a performance that was so convincing, he struggled to find other roles following the movie. Mykelti Williamson played Bubba with such conviction that casting directors assumed he was acting out his natural persona. This meant that he had difficulty finding other roles as people presumed he was a type cast. After his appearance on "The Late Show With David Letterman", however, people realized that Williamson is actually just a really, really good actor. The Most Iconic Line Was Improvisation One of the most iconic lines in the movie is the part on the bench when he is asked for his name. Hanks responds with the line: "My name is Forrest Gump. People call me Forrest Gump." Although this line is one of the most iconic, it was never actually in the original script. Tom Hanks improvised it while he was in character and director Zemeckis thought it was so funny that he decided to leave it in the final cut. Tom Hanks Wasn't The Obvious Choice Watching the movie back, it is impossible to imagine anybody else in the role of Forrest Gump but Tom Hanks. He actually wasn't the only choice for the character though. Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, and John Travolta were all offered the role and every single one of them turned it down. John Travolta is the one who regrets his decision the most and admits that even today, he wishes he had accepted the role of Forrest Gump. How bizarre would that be? Elvis Never Received Credit One person that was never credited in the movie is Kurt Russel, who reportedly voiced the role of Elvis. His name never made the credits despite the fact that he gave a remarkably convincing performance. In 1979, he starred in a television movie about the King of Rock 'N' Roll. It was most likely this performance that got him in Forrest Gump. Tom Hanks' Brother Makes an Appearance Tom Hanks spent a lot of time running during filming for Forrest Gump. For the long-distance running shot, however, he had a stunt double. This stunt double was actually his younger brother, Jim, who was a keen running. The brothers look pretty similar so he was able to stand as in as substitute quite easily. This was lucky too because it meant the team had to do very little editing or clever camera work to make it look like it was actually Tom Hanks doing the running. There's a Subtle Detail to Indicate Time Has Passed Forrest Gump tells the story of one man and his journey from a young boy to a young man to an older man. His development occurs seamlessly and there is one subtle detail which ties all of the scenes together. Did you spot it? In each scene where Gump has grown older, he wears a blue checkered shirt. This indicates to the audience that time has passed but that it is the same man in each of the developmental scenes. The Hippie Scene Used Real Hippies Another memorable scene in the movie is the hippy sequence. Everyone is dressed like they are straight out of Woodstock and all the hairstyles perfectly represent the era they were trying to portray. It must have taken the hair and makeup team a lot of work, right? Wrong. The hair and makeup team weren't actually involved. Instead of casting extras, the cast headed to the Maryland Renaissance Festival and did the scene there. Everyone was already dressed exactly how they wanted and they were happy to feature in the film. You Can Visit The Film's Iconic Bench A bench is hardly your typical iconic landmark. The bench where Forrest Gump sits to tell his story, however, is very special indeed. After the film's success, many visitors in Savannah headed to the bench for a picture. This led Savannah officials to list the bench as a protected landmark. Instead of leaving it in Chippewa Square where it was subject to the weather and tourism, they moved it to the Savannah History Museum. You can visit the bench here today. This is What Hanks Said In His Anti-War Speech There are so many special moments in Forrest Gump and so many scenes that stand out as significant. One of these scenes is the one where Gump stands in front of an anti-war audience in a rally in Washington, D.C. Sadly, we did not hear his speech because the microphone was not plugged in. The speech did actually happen though and, According to Hanks, this is what he said: "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." There's a Mistake In the Timeline Generally speaking, Forrest Gump is a pretty flawless movie. Each character is likeable and we could quote Forrest Gump for days. The only mistake that we can call the writers up on relates to the timeline. Forrest Gump says in the movie that he was running for three years and two months. He actually began his run on the day President Carter collapsed from heat in October 1, 1979. He ran until he got Jenny's letter which was just a year and a half after his run began. The Cast and Crew's Children Were Extras The first bus ride we see Forrest Gump take is heartbreaking. He is mocked and ridiculed by the children on the bus and we can't help but sympathize with the young boy. The extras on the bus are actually the children of the cast and crew. The director Robert Zemeckis' son, Alexander, is one of the bullies and Tom Hanks' daughter, Elizabeth, taunts a young Gump too. They may have played horrid characters but hey, at least they got to be in the movie! Ice Cube Turned Down the Opportunity to Play Bubba In addition to John Travolta and Bill Murray declining their invitations to play Forrest Gump, some famous actors also turned down the chance to play Bubba. These actors include Ice Cube, David Alan Grier and Dave Chappelle. Ice Cube and David Alan claimed that their reason was because they felt uncomfortable playing a disabled character. They didn't think it was a good move, although they did like the script. In the end, Mykelti Williamson agreed to take on the role and his performance was stellar. You Can Visit Forrest Gump Props In Bubba Shrimp If you like to travel, you've probably noticed that Bubba Shrimp restaurants can pretty much be found all over the world. The majority of the restaurants, however, can be found in the United States. Although the food is yummy, a better reason to visit is for the Forrest Gump nostalgia. In Downtown Disney, you can visit the actual shrimp boat that was used in the movie. In another restaurant, you can find the same ping-pong paddles Forrest Gump used in the movie. They are hung up on the wall with Tom Hanks' signature. Forrest Gump's Mother is Too Young In Forrest Gump, Forrest's mother is depicted as an old lady in bed. Sally Field is the actress who plays Gump's mother and she does a fabulous job. Although she is depicted as being an old lady, the actress is actually just ten years older than Tom Hanks. If you do the math, you will realize that she is nowhere near old enough to play Hanks' mom! Nonetheless, she did such a good job that acting that it's easy to forget she is far too young for the role. Tom Hanks Had Flu When He Ran at the Football Match Film creators run to a pretty tight schedule so there is no excuse for calling in sick with a hangover. Even if the characters are ill, they have to maintain a level of professionalism and push through. On one of the filming days, Tom Hanks had a bad flu. Unfortunately for him, that day they were filming the running scene at the football match. Despite being ill, he managed to push through and perform the scene anyway. Now that's dedication! The Book is Quite Different The story of Forrest Gump is based on a real life story. The screenplay does its best to stick to the book but there are some differences. In the book, for example, Forrest is a cynic whereas in the film he has a childlike persona. Another big difference is in the respective opening lines of the movie and book. In the film, Forrest says: "My mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." In the book, on the other hand, he says: "Let me say this: bei'n an idiot is no box of chocolates. People laugh, lose patience, treat you shabby. Now they say folks s'posed to be kind to the afflicted, but let me tell you - it ain't always that way." Which do you prefer? One Big Scene Was Cut Out Several scenes are added and cut before the director approves the final cut. One of the scenes which was cut out by Zemeckis was a scene that he believed may have offensive undertones. In the scene, riot police release a German Shepherd on Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Forrest Gump distracts the dogs with a game of fetch. Zemeckis was worried that some people may find this scene offensive and so he opted to cut it out. You can watch it on the special collector's edition DVD though. The Book Version Of Forrest Gumps Has Even More Talents In the film, the reason that Forrest Gump is such a great runner is because he is a football player. After his time in the Vietnam war, he becomes an international ping pond player. In the novel, however, Gump goes on to do bigger and better things. He goes onto become a sensational chess player and even becomes an astronaut. At one point, he becomes a professional wrestler as well. It is difficult to imagine Hanks' Forrest Gump doing any one of these three things! It Took Nine Years Of Pitching For the Movie to Be Considered Wendy Finerman was the film producer who discovered the Forrest Gump novel. She found it in 1986 and found it to be an incredibly interesting read. Unfortunately, no one else in Hollywood shared her enthusiasm. Over the next nine years, she continued to pitch her idea. It was not until she managed to sign Tom Hanks for the lead role that people started to pay attention. Tom Hanks read the script in just one and a half hours and saw its potential. Together, Hanks and Finerman made Forrest Gump it happen. Two Actors Were Pulled Off The Street Zemeckis filmed the Capitol Hill scene in Washington DC. He was struggling with a particular scene and asked a couple of passing tourists if they could help out. The couple were visiting from Atlanta, Georgia and were more than happy to help out. They actually ended up receiving a couple of lines each and ended up being actors in the movie. They say that all you need in the industry is a bit of good luck, and this is definitely the case for this couple who ended up in the right place at the right time. There is a Forrest Gump Sequel Winston Groom is the man who wrote the novel but very few people remember his name. After the movie came out, he decided to write a sequel which he named, Gump & Co. He opened the novel with the sentence: "Don't never let nobody make a movie of your life's story." This is partly because he was completely overlooked during the making of the movie. He was not thanked or acknowledged even though without Groom, Forrest Gump would never have happened. The Book Was Not an Instant Success In 1986, Forrest Gump was published in print. Unfortunately, few recognized its brilliance and only 30,000 copies were sold. Fortunately, Wendy Finerman saw the novel's potential and pushed for the book to be made into a movie for nine years. We all know that the movie was a huge success and that she was right not to give up on it. The film was good news for the author too and after the movie's release, 1.6 million copies of the books were sold. It is now considered a classic. The Sequel is Even Crazier Than the Original In his sequel, Groom pushes his character to new extremes. We don't want to give anything away but there is one bit where Forrest accidentally takes out the Berlin Wall. He also fights in Desert Storm, gets himself involved with the Iran-Contra affair, and pretty much experiences things that most of us couldn't even begin to conjure up in our imaginations. Basically, if you are a Forrest Gump fan, we recommend you add the sequel to your reading list. Another Real Life Person Inspired Forrest Gump In 1982, a boy named Louis Michael Figuero walked from his home in New Jersey all the way to San Francisco. He was determined to raise awareness for the American Cancer Society and completed the whole journey by foot despite being just 16 years of age. In the movie, Forrest Gump says: "I just put one foot in front of the other. When I get tired, I sleep. When I get hungry, I eat. When I have to go to the bathroom, I go." These words were actually inspired by the words Louis said when he was asked about his real life long run. The Cause of Jenny's Death is Revealed In the Sequel In the movie, the love of Forrest Gump's life dies just one year after the couple become man and wife. It is not actually confirmed what kills her but we are given reason to believe that the cause is AIDS. The story took place in the '80s when the virus was at its peak in the U.S. In his sequel, however, writer Winston Groom confirms that this was not the cause of death. It was in fact hepatitis C which killed Jenny and she was infected by the virus through drug-use. Tom Hanks Pays Enormous Attention to Detail Tom Hanks is a very serious actor and pays enormous attention to detail when he takes on a role. If you look closely at the picture that Forrest takes in the movie, his eyes are closed. Hanks would never make a mistake like this and so we can only assume that he did this on purpose. It's the little details like this which make characters even more credible. Blinking during a photo is a very "Forrest Gump" thing to do. Forrest Gump's House No Longer Exists In the movie, Forrest Gump grows up in an old plantation-style house. The house was actually built specifically for the movie, only it was built very quickly and was consequently not up to code. After filming wrapped up, the house was therefore demolished as quickly as it had been built. It was located outside Varnville, South Carolina and although you can visit the location, there is nothing there. The city of Greenbow where Forrest was born also doesn't actually exist. Some of the Props Were Authentic Gary Sinise is the talented actor who took on the role of Lieutenant Dan, the tough but secretly venerable man who led a platoon of soldiers during the Vietnam War. His team included Forrest and Bubba. In the film, Gary's costume includes a St. Christopher Medal with the inscription "Protect Us in Combat." This prop is actually a genuine medal which once belonged to Gary Sinise's brother-in-law. The real owner actually wore it during his service in the Vietnam War. John Lennon Features In the Movie In the film, during Forrest Gump's endless adventures, he also ends up meeting the legendary John Lennon. The footage of the encounter was actually real and was taken from the Beatle's appearance on the Dick Cavett Show. In the film, Yoko Ono was digitally removed and convincingly replaced with Tom Hanks in character. This meant that the footage looks genuinely authentic (because it is), only obviously Forrest Gump was not actually present when the recording was originally made! The Soundtrack of the Movie is Legendary Too For a movie to achieve cult status, it pretty much has to be flawless across the board. One important element of this is the soundtrack. Legendary tracks like "Fortunate Son" by Creedence Clearwater Revival, "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield, and "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd made it into the final cut. Following the release of the movie, the soundtrack sold over 12 million copies. These songs are still extremely popular around the world but tend to invoke Forrest Gump nostalgia. This is How Big a Hit Forrest Gump Was at The Box Office Forrest Gump was released in movie theatres in 1994. If it was released any other year, it may have been the movie of the year, but it wasn't. 1994 was an incredible year for movie fanatics. Cinemas released Pulp Fiction, Shawshank Redemption and Jurassic Park. All three of these films are considered to be some of the best movies of all time. Despite its competition, Forrest Gump managed to stay in theatres for 42 weeks. It grossed $677 million at the box-office and became the fourth-highest grossing film ever. Paramount Pictures Actually Lost Money Even by our standards, Forrest Gump was a huge success. We are used to films grossing way over $1 billion but we can appreciate that $677 million was a lot for the time. Paramount Pictures, on the other hand, found themselves disappointed. Their budget was $55 million and even though they grossed $677 million at the box office, all of the promotion costs added up and they ended up losing $62 million. Who would have thought that such a legendary film was technically a flop? Tom Hanks Refused to Be Paid At one point, the studio actually came pretty close to giving up. They ran into many money issues during shooting and things must have gotten really bad for them to get to this point. In the end, Tom Hanks and director Zemeckis funded the rest of the movie out of their own pockets. Hank actually refused payment for the movie and only accepted a small percentage of commission. In the end, he earned $40 million but for such a successful film star, the Oscar he received was probably the best payment. Paramount Pictures Had a Dispute With the Writer One person who did get cheated as a result of the film's flop was the writer, Winston Groom. He was only paid $350,000 for the script's rights but was promised 3% of the net profits. Of course, this turned out to be absolutely zilch. Ultimately, the movie made no profits and so Groom was left with no major earnings. This led to a big dispute with Paramount Pictures. The dispute was settled when the studio bought the rights to another one of Groom's books. A Sequel Probably Won't Happen There may be a sequel to the book but a sequel to the movie is very unlikely to happen. The main reason for this is that nobody actually wants to do it. Critics reckon that people will not take the risk because Forrest Gump was branded a "successful failure." It's just too big a risk. Tom Hanks also worried that making a comeback will damage what the cast and crew achieved in the original feature. He claims that a sequel might "ruin what we had done." A Screenplay For the Sequel Has Actually Been Written Eric Roth is the man who wrote the screenplay and he received the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for his efforts. In addition to writing the script for Forrest Gump, he wrote scripts for other successful movies including The Insider, Munich, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. He also secretly wrote a sequel for Forrest Gump and sent it for submission on September 10, 2001. This was obviously terrible timing as after 9/11 happened, no one was interested in the script.