Director Robert Zemeckis had difficulty finding Forrest Gump’s accent, but when they heard the young actor who played Forrest as a child (Michael Conner Humphrey,)they loved it. This inspired Tom Hanks’ accent in the film. According to Hanks, Humphreys had a very deep Mississippi accent and pronounced words with a hard “g.”
Humphreys struggled to make his accent sound like Hanks’, so Hanks decided he would try to speak more like the young boy. Hank has shared that he has hours of cassettes of himself talking with Humphreys. That’s commitment.
The Sequal
Winston Groom decided to write a sequel to Forrest Gump after the success of the movie. The sequel was called Gump & Co. The text in the sequel purposely contains frequent grammar and spelling errors in order to remind the reader of Forrest’s lack of education and cognitive abilities.
Larry King called the novel “the funniest novel I ever read.” Eric Roth later wrote a screenplay of the sequel in 2001. Will there ever be a movie sequel? It's been over 25 years since the first one came out, so it doesn't seem very likely, but who knows! Perhaps a whole new generation will soon experience the Gump.
Jenny’s Last Name
Jenny was never addressed by her last name, however, she still had one in the film. If you pay close attention, you can definitely catch it, and the name is Curran. Even though it never mentioned in the film, you can see it on the back of the envelope that Forrest mailed to her while he was in Vietnam.
It's also written on her mailbox when in her childhood home. And lastly, you will see the name written on the letters that are delivered to him in the hospital. She may have never said her full name as much as Gump, but she sure does have one!
Count Me In!
Tom Hanks signed onto the film after reading it for only an hour and a half. The film’s producer Steve Starkey said: “We sent the script to Tom Hanks because he was the only one who could play it … About an hour and a half, after he started reading it, Tom called and said, “I’m in.” From that point on, we knew we could get the movie made.”
When you know, you know. Hanks has yet to pick the wrong role throughout his entire career. Either that means has great instincts about what is the right part for him, or he can play just absolutely anything under the sun.
Historical Precision Clause
Hanks agreed to star in the film as long as historical events were as accurate as possible. The film touches upon a turbulent period in U.S history and includes many real-life events that occurred throughout the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. Events such as the Vietnam rally, the ping pong scene, the Black Panther Party, the Watergate Scandal, and many others.
Also included were appearances by many famous figures such as Elvis and President JFK. This makes sense, as Hanks is a known history buff, which is why he has also frequently collaborated with fellow history nerd, director Steven Spielberg on numerous grand projects involving World War II (Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers.)