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Tom Hanks is notably among the world’s most popular actors and has been associated with some of the greatest films of all time. From making his breakthrough in Hollywood with leading comedy roles, he continued to explore his range which definitely helped him become what he is today.
Also Read:Tom Cruise Made WB Commit its Biggest Blunder by Scrapping Tom Hanks’ Forrest Gump for the Strangest Reason That Made Gargantuan $678M Box-Office Haul With Six Oscars
Among his acclaimed projects,Forrest Gumpstill remains close to fans’ hearts due to almost everything. It surely gave an immense jump to his career however many might be unaware of the hardships the actor went through during its filming.
Tom Hanks Split The Bill With Film Director to Shoot The Running Scene
Also Read:After Clint Eastwood, Even 2 Time Oscar Winner Tom Hanks Lost a DC Superhero Role
Robert Zemeckis’ 1994 film,Forrest Gumpwon many hearts in addition to an Oscar. StarringTom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, and Sally Field, it got enlisted among the modern classics. While the film had many scenes that literally touched our heartstrings, one iconic scene involved Hanks’s titular character setting off on his running journey.
However, distribution company, Paramount Pictures suggested cutting off the scene to meet the filming schedule’s deadline. Not just that, they were against the iconic scene since it was deemed expensive that would eventually burden the film budget.
Hanks shared during his appearance onIn Depth With Graham Bensingerquoted the studio,
‘We can’t afford it; you’re not going to do it.”He continued,“And Bob said, ‘It’s too important a part of the movie just to cut. We can make this work.’ And they said, ‘No, you may’t.'”
So the director suggested that Hanks and he would split the cost with the duo covering the cost for“the run.”He eventually agreed but the scene faced another issue which was solved when Hanks’ brother, Jim Hanks was hired as his body double in the film.
Tom Hanks Used His Brother, Jim Hanks as Body Double in Forrest Gump
Also Read:Steven Spielberg Shot Himself in the Foot, Turned Down $183M Oscar Winning Tom Hanks Classic
Not just a tight budget, but they were also quite closer to the deadline before they actually shot the running scene. The director even hired Hanks’ brother as his body double in the running scenes so that the production can be filmed in multiple areas at the same time.
However, Hanks’s unique way of running also added as a factor to take his brother as body double. In a 1995 PEOPLE interview, Jim Hanks shared,
“Tom had other doubles, but they couldn’t do the run.”He continued,“That’s a stupid Hanks thing.”
Zemeckis along withThe Money Pitstar then had to put in another $1.5 million on the project to film the last scene. It was reported that Paramount refused to pay for the shoot when they found out aboutSullystar’s brother working as his double in the film.
The film, however, was a commercial success and earned over $678.2million worldwide.
Priya Sharma
Articles Published :1321
Priya Sharma, Senior Content Writer and Social Media Manager at FandomWire and Animated Times. Having graduated in Journalism and Mass Communication, she possesses extensive expertise in crafting engaging and informative content. She has written over 2000 articles across Animated Times and FandomWire on pop culture, showing her dedication to delivering diverse and trending content to readers across the world. Apart from pop culture, she is quite enthusiastic about the Hallyu culture and is exploring the world of anime, expanding the horizons of her knowledge.
