History Trivia / ForrestGump

* WeirdCrossover: The rare Real Life example. During filming of the first three installations of the Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean series, the ''Black Pearl'' set sail for location shots from Bubba's hometown of Bayou Le Batre (a real small-town fishing port in Alabama).

** Creator/TomHanks based Forrest's accent on that ofMichael Conner Humphreys, the child actor who played young Forrest (not [[spoiler:Forrest Jr.]]).

** Creator/TomHanks based Forrest's accent on Michael Conner Humphreys, the child actor who played young Forrest (not [[spoiler:Forrest Jr.]]).

* DoingItForTheArt: Due to the budget ballooning out of control (because of all the groundbreaking special effects), the studio refused to provide any money for Forrest's cross country run. Knowing that it was important to show the run on screen, Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis used their own money to pay for a small camera crew to shoot the necessary scenes on weekends before rushing back to the main production in time to start the week.

** Creator/JohnTravolta was offered the role of Forrest, but turned it down. He regretted doing so, but [[Film/PulpFiction he did pretty well anyway]]. Creator/BillMurray was also considered as Forrest. And Creator/DaveChappelle (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 Creator/MykeltiWilliamson, 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, only to be rejected because his lips weren't big enough.
** Music/TupacShakur auditioned for the role of Bubba.
*** That being said, they [[AvertedTrope averted]] HarsherInHindsight.
* YouLookFamiliar: Creator/TomHanks and Creator/SallyField had co-starred in the film ''Punchline'' six years earlier. No, she didn't play his mom in that one.

* DevelopmentHell: The adaptation of the book sequel, ''Gump and Co.'', featuring more of Forrest's crazy adventures, from encyclopedia selling to pig farming to attending the Academy Awards (helped by the fact that due to HollywoodAccounting, author Winston Groom didn't get a dime out of the $676 million the film took worldwide).

** Creator/TomHanks based Forrest's accent on the child actor who played young Forrest (not [[spoiler:Forrest Jr.]]).

* He also last-named his ''Series/{{CSINY}}'' character, Mac Taylor, after Lt.Dan. (the first name was after his son.)

** Creator/JohnTravolta was offered the role of Forrest, but turned it down. He regretted doing so, but [[Film/PulpFiction he did pretty well anyway]]. Creator/BillMurray was also considered as Forrest. And Creator/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.

* DoingItForTheArt: Due to ballooning budget (because of all the groundbreaking special effects), the studio finally refused to provide any money for Forrest's cross country run. Knowing that it was important to show the run on screen, Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis used their own money to pay for a small camera crew to shoot the necessary scenes on weekends before rushing back to the main production in time to start the week.

** Gary Sinise and the Lieutenant Dan Band.

* ActorAllusion: At one point Robin Wright's character is involved with [[Film/ThePrincessBride a guy named Wesley]].

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

* UnderAgeCasting: Sally Field played Creator/TomHanks' mother, though she's only ten years older than him. Granted, the two didn't share the screen together much since many of her scenes are flashbacks to when he was younger. Once it came time for them to act off one another, Field was in old-lady makeup while Hanks was invoking DawsonCasting by playing a man in his 20's.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: JohnTravolta was offered the role of Forrest, but turned it down. He regretted doing so, but [[Film/PulpFiction he did pretty well anyway]]. Creator/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.

* YouLookFamiliar: Tom Hanks and Sally Field had co-starred in the film ''Punchline'' six years earlier. No, she didn't play his mom in that one.

** AFIS100Years100Movies10ThAnniversaryEdition: #76

* RetroactiveRecognition: This movie marked Creator/HaleyJoelOsment's first film role as [[spoiler:little Forrest Gump, Jr.]], before his StarMakingRole in ''Film/TheSixthSense''.

* DevelopmentHell: The adaptation of the book sequel, ''Gump and Co.'', featuring more of Forrest's crazy adventures, from encyclopedia selling to pig farming to attending the Academy Awards.
(helped by the fact that due to HollywoodAccounting, author Winston Groom didn't get a dime out of the $676 million the film took worldwide).

* DevelopmentHell: The adaptation of the book sequel, ''Gump Co.'' (helped by the fact that due to HollywoodAccounting, author Winston Groom didn't get a dime out of the $676 million the film took worldwide).

* He also last-named his ''{{CSI NY}}'' character, Mac Taylor, after Lt.Dan. (the first name was after his son.)

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

* HeyItsThatGuy
** A very young [[TheSixthSense Haley Joel]] [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts Osment]] plays [[spoiler: little Forrest Gump Jr.]].
** Gary Sinise of ''Series/{{CSiNY}}'', plays Lieutenant Dan.
** The principal with whom Forrest's mother sleeps, to get Forrest into school, is Bernard from ''{{Series/Lost}}''.
** Sonny Shroyer, best known as Enos from Series/TheDukesOfHazzard, portrayed famed University of Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant.
* HeyItsThatVoice: Joe Alaskey (best known for, among other roles, serving as the current voice for a number of WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes characters) provides the voice of unseen UsefulNotes/RichardNixon.
** Creator/KurtRussell 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.

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

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

** 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, only to be rejected because his lips weren't big enough.

** 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.