A little career jump starter
In 1994, the Oscar-winning film starring Tom Hanks as a lovable lummox named Forrest Gump became a box office behemoth (almost $1 billion worldwide in today’s dollars).
It entered the name “Forrest Gump” into the zeitgeist, and generated the simile catchphrase, “Life is like a box of chocolates.” In case you didn’t know, here are some facts about the influential film that Forrest Gump directors hid from their fans.
Haley Joel Osment’s first role ever was in Forrest Gump.
Big lips
He played Forrest Junior.
Three, two, one, lift off!
Mykelti Williamson wore a prosthetic to extend his lower lip throughout his performance as Bubba.
Gary Sinise’s character tells Tom Hanks’s character that the day Forrest works on a shrimp boat will be the day he’s an astronaut.
“Keep his eye on the ball”
This is a reference to the book, where Forrest actually becomes an astronaut, and the following year, Sinise and Hanks appeared together as astronauts in Apollo 13 (1995).
When Forrest first learns to play ping-pong in the infirmary, he is told the trick is to “keep his eye on the ball” by another soldier.
Sweet Home Alabama!
After that moment, whenever he is shown playing ping-pong, he never blinks.
More recognition
Although most of the film is set in Alabama, filming took place mainly in and around Beaufort, South Carolina, as well as parts of coastal Virginia, Georgia and North Carolina.
Shrimp boat
In 2011, the Library of Congress selected Forrest Gump for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
Shrimp boat
The shrimp boat used in the film now resides in the moat surrounding the Planet Hollywood restaurant in Downtown Disney, at the Disney World Resort in Florida.
Historical accuracy
Also, one of the ping-pong paddles used in the film is signed by Tom Hanks and hung up on one of the walls inside the restaurant.
Tom Hanks signed onto the film after an hour and a half of reading the script but agreed only to take the role if the film was historically accurate.
“Imagine all the people.”
He initially wanted to ease Forrest’s pronounced Southern accent, but was eventually persuaded by director Robert Zemeckis to portray the heavy accent stressed in the novel.
Awards and decorations
Almost all of John Lennon’s lines in the film are lyrics from his song “Imagine.” In the film, Lennon says, “No possessions,” “No religion too,” and “It’s easy if you try.”
The author received very little in compensation
Awards and decorations
Forrest’s awards and decorations, as worn in his Class A uniform are: the Medal of Honor, Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Infantry Shoulder Cord, Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Badge (probably for rifle), and Meritorious Unit Commendation.
The author received very little in compensation
Winston Groom, the author of the original Forrest Gump book, received $350,000 for the screen play rights to his book but didn’t receive a single cent in royalties for the money the film made ($677 million), because of Hollywood Accounting. He contacted Paramount pictures wondering how he had not received 3% in royalties that was promised to him. They claimed that the movie was losing money and invited Groom to take a look at their accounting books.Historical discrepancy
Winston Groom discovered that Paramount Pictures had written off more than $140 million dollars in revenue which was a nest egg for "future bad movies". He then proceeded to take Paramount pictures to court and the judge dismissed the case within 15 minutes stating that he should not have placed trust in the accountant.
