Often times, in the more physically taxing scenes of films, actors require a body double. While it’s not easy to match the actors, usually the industry finds a way, especially if it’s just a moment’s shot. Luckily for him, they didn’t have to look very far for a convincing double, they just had to check his family tree. For many of the running scenes, we actually see Tom Hanks’s younger brother Jim.
Jim Hanks who, back then, was a fantastic runner, also had the advantage of sharing a resemblance to his brother (obviously). Not only does Jim play Tom Hank’s body double in Forrest Gump, due to their similar tone of voice, he has also substituted for his brother in various Toy Story video games. So when the award-winning actor is not available, he’s able to pass the job on to his younger brother.
Closed eyes
Did you notice that in every picture taken of Forrest Gump throughout the movie, he had his eyes closed? While it might look a little funny, there is a reason why this keeps happening, and it had to do with Hanks and the director formulating a very believable character with strange quirks and habits. According to Hanks, he was trying to convey someone focusing hard on being "normal."
The quirky character trait was ultimately Hanks' decision. This, like many of the small details we see throughout the film, is just an example of another easter egg that we notice throughout the movie. It's also a testament to the actor's character building.
Robin Wright
Robin Wright gained critical acclaim for her performance as Jenny, Forrest’s childhood friend, and love interest. She received nominations for a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Golden Globe. The actress first gained attention for playing Kelly Capwell in the NBC Daytime soap opera, Santa Barbara, from 1984-1988.
She also starred in the Netflix series, House of Cards, for which she made $500,000 per episode. Other famous actresses turned down the opportunity to play Jenny, like Jodie Foster, Nicole Kidman, and Demi Moore.
The Vietnam Scenes
While visiting in Washington, D.C., Forrest befriends activist Abbie Hoffman, who invites him to speak about his experience in Vietnam with the thousands of attendees of the anti-war protest. However, in what becomes one of the most pivotal scenes of the movie, onlookers are unable to hear what Forrest says because his microphone is unplugged.
So, this is what Forrest Gump really said when he spoke at the Vietnam Rally in D.C: “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.”
"People Call Me Forrest Gump"
The iconic line that people love so much- “My name is Forrest Gump. People call me Forrest Gump” wasn’t originally in the script. Tom Hanks ad-libbed the line and the film’s director Robert Zemeckis loved the line and kept it in. Forrest says this line in the scene where he introduces himself to Bubba for the first time. We can’t imagine the film without it.
Of course, if anyone knows anything about movies, that line is clearly a homage to the James Bond line, "They call me Bond, James Bond." As much as we love Gump for his many traits such as his kind heart, and great work ethic, he lacks that certain suave Bond quality. Which, in fact, is what makes the line so funny and memorable!