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Classics in Hollywood come in all shapes and sizes. Whether it is a sweet rom-com likeYou’ve Got Mailor a sci-fi genius like all of the olderStar Warsfilms, the film industry is filled with projects that have stayed with fans over the years. Tom Hanks’ 1994 filmForrest Gumpis one of them. You may call it an overnight success as the film was widely appreciated for more reasons than one and it did a number at the box office making a whopping $678 million.
Clearly, it was an instant fan-favorite and has remained so in recent years as well. Despite the fact that the film has raised some concerns in today’s time, you may’t disagree that the nostalgia linked to it still makes people appreciate Robert Zemeckis’ work. However, there was a chance thatForrest Gumpwouldn’t have come to fruition due to the studio’s unwillingness to finance a special sequence the director had his heart set on.
Tom Hanks’Forrest GumpWas in Trouble
It’s hard to imagine that a film that made such an amount at the worldwide box office and swept not only the audience’s hearts but also the Oscars away, was almost shelved.
According toRobert Zemeckis, the studio was against including the iconic scene fromForrest GumpwhereTom Hanks’ Forrest runs across the country. While it now may seem unfathomable to have the film without this particular scene, the studio was hell-bent on not financing it.
Due to the back and forth between them and Zemeckis, the studio almost shut down the entire project in frustration.
For an interview withYahoo Entertainment, Hanks sat down withSteven Spielbergto discuss their iconic projects and of course,Forrest Gumphad to be one of them.
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He revealed that the whole movie was going to be erased from the face of Earth because of Zemeckis’ insistence on shooting the above-mentioned scene. The studio was totally against it and wasn’t ready to spare any budget for it.
We were 48 hours away from it being shut down. So I’m glad that worked out.
So, how did the movie end up reaching the finish line along with Zemeckis’ desired scene? Well, the director had an idea and let’s just say that Hanks was all for it.
Tom Hanks Practically Saved the Movie
When the studio outright refused to make adjustments to the budget, Zemeckis went knocking on Hanks’ door. With just hours to spare before the plug was to be pulled, the director went to his lead actor’s house and told him everything.
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He stated just how important it was for the movie to have the scene and luckily, Hanks agreed.
Recalling Zemeckis’ visit, Hanks stated,
The studio was one day away from pulling the plug on this one movie I was going to make, and the director came to my house and said, ‘Look, this is going to fall apart because they won’t give us the budget for shooting this one sequence, and we’ve got to have this sequence.’
Since theA Man Called Ottoactor wanted to have the film made, he agreed to Zemeckis’ plea and the two of them went halfsies on the bill. He added,“I said, ‘All right.’ And the sequence was Forrest running across the country.”Thus, Zemeckis got to include the scene and the studio didn’t bat an eye. Of course, the investment paid off in the end.
While considered a classic,Forrest Gumpis a topic of contention amongst fans today. On one hand, people still consider it to be as iconic as ever, on the other hand, some think that it has aged like milk over time. Whether it was the white-washing of the country’s history, the cameos of historical figures, or the ridiculous idealization of the main character, fans of cinema believe thatForrest Gumpis a bit problematic in nature.
Forrest Gumpis available to watch on Paramount+.
Mishkaat Khan
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2257
A connoisseur of all things horror, fantasy, and the occasional chick flick, Mishkaat has been penning pieces for FandomWire since 2022. She started off as an intern and has worked her way up to a Senior Writer with over 2000 articles to her name.Outside of entertainment, she has also written well-researched medical content as a freelance writer and has experience in social media management.When not writing, you can find her relaxing with a romance novel and a tall glass of iced coffee in her hand or watching re-runs of ‘Supernatural’ and ‘The Office.’
