10 Potential Castings We're SO Glad Didn't Happen
7. John Travolta As Forrest Gump (Forrest Gump)
Bill Murray was in the running for Forrest Gump prior to Tom Hanks getting it, and he’s usually the one talked about here. It’s difficult to imagine anyone doing as good a job as Hanks, but Murray could have had a decent crack at it.
His humour is a little more manic and adult than Hanks’ more subtle, family friendly comedy, but it might just have worked.
John Travolta though? Definitely a bullet dodged for all concerned.
Though his stock has tanked in recent years after his weird behaviour and films like Gotti and the upcoming The Fanatic, Travolta is a talented guy. Grease, Saturday Night Fever, Pulp Fiction, Swordfish... it’s a career which has spanned decades. His role as Robert Shapiro in American Crime Story won great praise as little as three years ago.
However, none of these talents really seem to lend themselves to sweet simpleton Forrest Gump.
Despite this, he was one of the first actors offered the role, along with Bill Murray, who both turned it down. Travolta has since expressed regret, but it’s difficult to imagine it would have been half as successful without Hanks.