Earnings
Forrest Gump is a comedy-drama that was released in 1994. It is based on a novel called Forrest Gump that was written by Winston Groom. It was rated very highly by critics and viewers, and it became a top film that has since been an American classic.
The movie was watched by so many people, yet, there are a few things about this movie that will definitely surprise you. This article focuses on the things that Forrest Gump producers hid from their fans.
The movie earned over $677 million. However, Tom Hanks did not get paid for acting.
Tricks
He only accepted percentage points which in the end, earned him $40 million.
During the Ping-Pong matches, there was no ball used.
The Lead Role
It was purely computer generated imagery.
John Travolta, Bill Murray and Chevy Chase all turned down the role of Forrest Gump. They were among the first people to be approached to act in the movie.
Sally Field
However, none of the accepted the accept the offer of which they surely regretted later on.
In the Film, Sally Field's character appears to be very old compared to Tom Hanks.
Tom Hanks
But in reality, she's only ten years older than him.
Tom Hanks was given the lead role that was supposed to be given to Chevy Chase. This role gave him an opportunity to transition from being a comedic actor to a dramatic actor.
Blue checked shirt
This was a great turning point for Tom Hanks since he aced the performance.
In every transitioning stage, Forrest was wearing a blue checked shirt.
Closed eyes
Is this a coincidence or was it planned?
It is almost unbelievable that Forrest had his eyes closed in all the photos found in the movie.
Robin Wright
This is fascinating becuase it's not expected of such lead actors.
A Brotherly Double…
Wright was nominated for both a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Golden Globe for her role as Jenny in 1994’s beloved Forrest Gump.
In many of Tom Hanks’ running sequences, his younger brother Jim Hanks is said to have doubled for him.
Vietnam scenes
This is surprising because they don’t necessarily look alike.
During the Vietnam rally that was held in Washington, Tom Hanks’ microphone was not audible. These are the exact words 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.
People Call Me Forrest Gump
That’s a bad thing. That’s all I have to say about that.”
Tom Hanks ad-libbed the line “My name is Forrest Gump. People call me Forrest Gump,” and it turned out to be a line used in the film.
His Daddy’s Named Forest, Too…
It stayed in the final cut of the film because the film's director, Robert Zemeckis, loved it so much that he allowed it to be used.
Haley Joel Osment, who famously acted in The Sixth Sense, acted as Forrest and Jenny’s son. He acted amazingly and most people who watched the movie liked him.
Tourists Make Excellent Reporters…
The most amazing and surprising thing is that this was his first film performance yet he aced it.
When Tom Hanks visited Washington DC after his visit from Vietnam, there was a scene that had a reporter. The reporter was not an actor.
Those Aren’t Blue Leggings…
He was a tourist who was visiting DC together with his wife. He was just given the script and asked to read, which he did perfectly.
The Actual Footage…
In the scene where Gary Sinise had no legs, a distinctive blue fabric had been covered on his legs, which made it easy to digitally remove them.
The actual footage of Sammy L. Davis being awarded a Medal of Honor by President Lyndon B.
Iced Shrimp…
Johnson was used for Forrest’s medal ceremony. Forrest’s head was digitally superimposed on Davis’ body, which made the scene appear more realistic.
Mykelti Williamson acted as Bubba who was Forrest’s friend, whom he met after joining the army. This role had been offered to Ice Cube and Dave Chappelle, who turned it down.
Thank You Very Much…
They, later on, acknowledged that they thought the film was a joke and it was bound to fail, but when it succeeded, they regretted not accepting the role.
Elvis Presley voice was provided by Kurt Russell. According to some sources, Kurt Russell was never recognized for the voice.
Quote The Truth Where You Find it…
This is very frustrating especially because the movie was a huge success.
The line used by Forrest Gump during the famed run on the silver screen was inspired by a 16-year-old boy who ran to San Francisco from New Jersey as a way of supporting the American Cancer Society. The inspired line was: “I just put one foot in front of the other,” it goes. “When I get tired I sleep.
A Long Day…
When I get hungry I eat. When I have to go to the bathroom, I go.”
Robin Wright was having a very bad cold when she was performing a scene in a nightclub. Despite this, she was able to sing her own song during a shoot that took 24 hours nonstop.
Running With A Cold…
Additionally, she was holding a guitar and nearly naked.
Picture Perfect…
Tom Hanks was suffering from influenza when he shot the football running scene.
The Bench That Got Benched…
Norman Rockwell painting “Girl with a Black Eye” inspired the scene where Gump sits on a bench waiting for his mother to talk to the principal.
The bench Gump sat on for many parts of the movie was at Chippewa Square in Savannah, Georgia. Since then, it is has been removed and put in a museum to avoid damage from unfavorable weather.
Character Differences…
Up to today, the bench is in the historical Savannah History Museum.
The film differs extensively from the original version of the novel. This is in terms of both character and turn of events.
The Doors…
For example, Gump is naive and reflexive, unlike in the novel. This can be clearly seen in the chocolate scene.
The Doors played some of their music in the film.
Family Bus Ride…
Unlike other bands, it had more than six songs which were loved by most viewers.
The Book…
Among the kids who greeted Gump with ridicule on the school bus, were Tom Hanks’ daughter Elizabeth and and Zemeckis' son Alexander.
After the success story of the Forrest Gump movie, the author of the novel "Forrest Gump", Winston Groom, decided to write another novel that focuses on the result of the movie.
Jenny’s Real Last Name…
The novel was called Gump & Co.
Jenny’s last name is Curran.
Tom Hank’s Accent Inspiration…
Though, it's funny that she was never addressed by her last name the entire movie.
Tom Hank’s accent was inspired by Michael Conner Humphrey’s. When he was given the role of Forest, he was reluctant to use the accent.
He Signed On After Reading This…
However, contrary to what was expected, he did a great job using that accent.
With the excellent acting that Tom Hanks portrays, one would think he took several hours or even days reading the script.
Historical Precision Clause…
However, it took him only one and a half hours after reading the script to sign into the movie.
Emotion Plays A Role…
Tom Hanks only agreed to participate in the film on a condition that the movie was historically precise.
An Oscar-Worthy Performance…
According to some sources, Tom Hanks confessed that there are times that he got really emotional when playing the role of Forrest Gump.
Cast In Savannah…
Tom Hanks had won an Oscar award in the year 1994, which was his first Academy Award.
Many scenes of the movie were filmed in Savannah, Georgia. However, some of the scenes were filmed in South Carolina, Fripp Island and also the hunting island were some of the filming locations.
600 Million In Profits…
This enabled the movie to look historical and also easily relatable.
R.I.P Jenny…
According to some sources, the movie was able to get $600 million, however by the end of the year the movie was released, it had yet to make a profit.
Jenny who was the lover and wife to Forrest was born in the year 1945.
Mykelti Williamson’s Dilemma…
She later died in the year 1982.
Chappelle Disputed Rumors…
Mykelti Williamson claims that he could not get any opportunities to act in other films after acting in the Forrest Gump movie due to typecasting.
Some sources say that Dave Chappelle had auditioned for the role of Bubba. However, this is not known by facts.
Corner Chooses Career…
Dave Chappelle once attended the Daily Show in the year 1999 where he said that he was not a fan of the movie because according to him, he could not understand how Forrest Gump could out do him in acting.
Michael Corner acted as Forrest Gump at his young age. He aced the performance and it would be expected that he would continue with his acting career.
Only American Music…
However, he joined the army and dropped the acting career.
According to the Film's director, all the songs that were played in the movie were from American bands.
About 15 Dr. Peppers…
He said that Gump would not have accepted anything that was non-American.
When Forrest met JFK, he says he was so thirsty rather than hungry. He said he drank 15 Dr.
From Book To Movie…
Peppers.
Warner Bros.
The Real Necklace…
is said to have bought the rights to cast the movie "Forrest Gump" when the original book Forrest Gump was still a script.
L.T Dan is seen wearing a necklace in many parts of the movie. The necklace is said to have been worn in Vietnam by the brother in law of Gary Sinese.
The Gump Home…
It was, therefore, one with value and not just from a prop shop.
The house which was acted in as Forrest Gump’s home is no longer in existence. It was demolished after filming the movie.
The Bus Stops Here…
Therefore, no one can find where the movie depicts it to be.
Bus Traffic Flow…
The scene that shows the bus stop was shot in Chippewa Square in Savannah, Georgia.
The movie depicts traffic around the square.
Bubba Gump Shrimp…
In order for the bus door to open, traffic flow had to be reversed.
Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant was never in existence before 1996. It was opened after the release of the film.
Scripts That Went Un-Used…
It has since developed into a chain restaurant found throughout the United States.
Initially, Groom was the one writing the script for the movie.
The Famous Hurricane Scene…
However, his scripts were never used because other writers such as Eric Roth were asked to write the full script.
The original book
The famous Port Royal S.C Ports Authority was used for the boat hurricane scene.
The original book was written by Winston Groom in 1986. When the book hit the market, only 30,000 copies of the book managed to sell.
Statistics
However, after the release of the movie Forrest Gump, 1.6 million books were sold. This is surprising but it clearly shows that the movie got a lot of viewers who enjoyed it and, in return, bought the book.
According to statistics completed after the release of the film, there were as many negative critics as there were positive critics.
Apple Company
Some people thought it was a great movie and thus gave positive critiques, while others thought it was an outdated movie meant for the aging generation.
In the movie, Dan is seen investing Gump’s money into a company, which is apparently Apple. The movie does not tell exactly how much money was invested.
Sounds of clinking coins
However, if Forrest Gump would have left his investments in Apple Company, the stock would have earned him million of dollars.
According to Director Robert Zemeckis, the movie was to be released with sounds of clinking coins. However, the movie was released to the theaters without the sounds.
Edited version of Forrest Gump
This was without Robert’s approval. But, a new version of the movie was edited such that what the director wished for the movie would come to be.
After more than twenty years, a new and edited version of Forrest Gump hit the studios.
President Trump
This was music to the ears of the lovers of Forrest Gump.
Basing on some reviews done on the movie, there is a rumor that the movie was initially done as an advertisement for Trump.
A lot of special effects
However, when he did not run for the post, the movie was reviewed and edited to look like a movie narrating a story.
A lot of special effects were used during the movie. This enabled Forrest to be seen meeting various presidents who have already been assassinated.
A lot of meanings
This makes the movie appear more real and easy to relate to.
The feather seen floating from the beginning of the movie has many different meanings. It was white to show the innocence that Forrest Gump had and his enthusiasm to do anything or achieve anything he wants no matter the difficulties.
Gump’s foot
It also symbolized the quote on chocolate that was mentioned by his mom.
Some sources say that the feather falling next to Gump’s foot was a sign of all the hardships he had gone through. In the beginning of the movie, he is seen to have a problem with the foot and thus he thought he couldn't run.
However, he is seen running as the movie continues. The feather was therefore used to show that he had managed to overcome all his difficulties.