10 Shocking Facts You Didn’t Know About Classic Movies
9. Forrest Gump - The Iconic Running Sequence Was Nearly Cut
Yep, as utterly barmy as it may be to believe, there was a time when arguably the most iconic moment of the Tom Hanks-starring immortal flick was on the verge of being left out altogether.
Back before Forrest Gump had gone on to become one of the defining features of the megastar's career, the studio was getting cold feet about the aforementioned sequence that saw Hanks' Gump run across the country for three years as he dealt with his love Jenny walking out on him. We've all been there.
In short, they simply didn't want to stump up the cash to shoot the legendary run. So, with both Robert Zemeckis and Hanks adamant that the scene needed to be included when all was said and done, both the director and leading man put their heads and money together to get it in the can. In return for his investment out of his salary, Hanks took a cut of the movie's eventual profits. Not a bad move, I think you'll agree.
It's hard to imagine a world where Gump didn't go out running and make "sh*t happen", but thankfully Hanks and Zemeckis had other ideas.