History Trivia / ForrestGump

* Mykelti Williamson later appeared in season 3 of ''{{CSI NY}}'' as Chief Sinclair,the boss of Gary Sinise's character, Mac Taylor.

** [[IAmNotLeonardNimoy I am not Gray Sinise.]]

** The principal whom Forrest's mother sleeps with to get Forrest into school is Bernard from ''{{Series/Lost}}''.

** Kurt Russell does a quick cameo voicing Elvis Presley. It wasn't the first time (''It Happened at the World's Fair''), the second (the TV biopic ''Elvis'' directed by John Carpenter) nor [[Film/ThreeThousandMilesToGraceland the last]] time he played the King.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: JohnTravolta was offered the role of Forrest, but turned it down. He regretted doing so, but [[Film/PulpFiction he did pretty well anyway]]. BillMurray was also considered as Forrest. And Dave Chapelle (who would work with Hanks in ''Film/YouveGotMail'') was offered the role of Bubba, but turned it down, believing the movie would bomb. He, too, has regretted passing on his offer.

* HeyItsThatGuy: A very young [[TheSixthSense Haley Joel]] [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts Osment]] plays [[spoiler: little Forrest Gump Jr.]].

** And given what happened to Mykelti Willaimson, the actor who played Bubba, he may have done alright in the end. To wit, Mr Williamson was quoted in interviews a few years later, saying that after "Gump", [[UncleTomfoolery he was primarily offered roles as a comedic black character]] in films, [[UnfortunateImplications only to be rejected because his lips weren't big enough]] - they hadn't realised that the character of Bubba's lips were prosthetic. Which is yet another of this film's high quotient of UnfortunateImplications.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: JohnTravolta was offered the role of Forrest, but turned it down. He regretted doing so, but [[Film/PulpFiction he did pretty well anyway]]. BillMurray was also considered as Forrest. And Dave Chapelle (who would work with Hanks in ''Film/YouveGotMail'')was offered the role of Bubba, but turned it down, believing the movie would bomb. He, too, has regretted passing on his offer.

* IAmNotSpock: Gary Sinise became so strongly identified as Lieutenant Dan that he decided to just start a band called the [[TropesAreNotBad Lieutenant Dan Band]], with the proceeds from the band's performances going to charity. He also stars in a series of ads as Lieutenant Dan supporting suicide hotlines for veterans.

** Gary Sinise of {{CSINY}}, plays Lieutenant Dan.

* HeyItsThatGuy: A very young [[TheSixthSense Haley Joel]] [[KingdomHearts Osment]] plays [[spoiler: little Forrest Gump Jr.]].

* ActorAllusion: Tom Hanks survived Vietnam. He's not as lucky [[Film/SavingPrivateRyan when he is sent to rescue a paratrooper who is the last of four brothers.]]

* TropeNamer: For TheGump, of course.

* ThrowItIn: Tom Hanks based Forrest's accent on the child actor who played young Forrest (not [[spoiler:Forrest Jr.]]).

** The principal whom Forrest's mother sleeps with to get Forrest into school is Bernard from ''{{Lost}}''.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: JohnTravolta was offered the role of Forrest, but turned it down. He regretted doing so, but [[Film/PulpFiction he did pretty well anyway]]. BillMurray was also considered as Forrest. And DavidChapelle (who would work with Hanks in ''Film/YouveGotMail'')was offered the role of Bubba, but turned it down, believing the movie would bomb. He, too, has regretted passing on his offer.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: JohnTravolta was offered the role of Forrest, but turned it down. He regretted doing so, but [[Film/PulpFiction he did pretty well anyway]]. BillMurray was also considered as Forrest. And DaveChapelle (who would work with Hanks in ''Film/YouveGotMail'')was offered the role of Bubba, but turned it down, believing the movie would bomb. He, too, has regretted passing on his offer.
*** And given what happened to Mykelti Willaimson, the actor who played Bubba, he may have done alright in the end. To wit, Mr Williamson was quoted in interviews a few years later, saying that after "Gump", [[UncleTomfoolery he was primarily offered roles as a comedic black character]] in films, [[UnfortunateImplications only to be rejected because his lips weren't big enough]] - they hadn't realised that the character of Bubba's lips were prosthetic. Which is yet another of this film's high quotient of UnfortunateImplications.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: John Travolta was offered the role of Forrest, but turned it down. He regretted doing so, but [[PulpFiction he did pretty well anyway]]. BillMurray was also considered as Forrest. And Dave Chapelle (who would work with Hanks in YouveGotMail)was offered the role of Bubba, but turned it down, believing the movie would bomb. He, too, has regretted passing on his offer.

* ActorAllusion: Tom Hanks survived Vietnam. He's not as lucky [[SavingPrivateRyan when he is sent to rescue a paratrooper who is the last of four brothers.]]

* ActorAllusion: Tom Hanks survived Vietnam. He's not as lucky [[{{SavingPrivateRyan}} when he is sent to rescue a paratrooper who is the last of four brothers.]]

* HeyItsThatVoice: Joe Alaskey (best known for, among other roles, serving as the current voice for a number of LooneyTunes characters) provides the voice of unseen RichardNixon.

** Kurt Russell does a quick cameo voicing Elvis Presley. It wasn't the first time (''It Happened at the World's Fair''), the second (the TV biopic ''Elvis'' directed by John Carpenter) nor [[{{ptitlelcqhc0jy}} the last]] time he played the King.

** [[TupacShakur 2Pac]] auditioned for the role of Bubba.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: John Travolta was offered the role of Forrest, but turned it down. He regretted doing so, but [[PulpFiction he did pretty well anyway]]. BillMurray was also considered as Forrest. And Dave Chapelle was offered the role of Bubba, but turned it down, believing the movie would bomb. He, too, has regretted passing on his offer.
** Dave did guest star with Tom Hanks in You've Got Mail.

** 2Pac auditioned for the role of Bubba.