Tom Hanks has revealed he was forced to pay to film one of the most iconic segments of Forrest Gump after the production team decided it had to be cut due to a lack of cash.
And fast-forward 30 years, it is safe to say that the Woody voice actor is having the last laugh over the situation.
Hanks, now 68, is one of the most iconic faces in showbusiness, with his films having made almost $10 billion at the box office.
From Saving Private Ryan, to The Terminal, without forgetting the iconic Toy Story, his face – and voice – have become a fixture of the film industry, with Hanks given legend status as a cultural icon within the USA.
One of his most prominent roles is that of Forrest Gump in the film of the same name, which gave Hanks his second Oscar for Best Actor (the other coming the year before for Philadelphia).
The comedy-drama has become ingrained in popular culture, and I can guarantee everyone has said the words ‘run, Forrest, run’ at least once in their life (even if they’re not a big fan, or have actually seen the film).
Robin Wright played Jenny, Forrest’s childhood friend who he falls in love with (Paramount Pictures)
Now, appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert with CBS, Hanks has revealed one of the most iconic segments of Forrest Gump would never have happened if he and director Robert Zemeckis didn’t pay for it themselves.
“Some studio executive always comes up and says ‘it’s not going to work; you can’t do it; we don’t see the point in that; why are we shooting that’,” Hanks said to Colbert.
“[The scene] was Forrest’s run across the country. And they said ‘you’re going to have to cut that’.”
Hanks revealed that he and his brother Jim filmed all the locations in the segment of the film, with Jim also famously filling in for the role of Woody in numerous video games and adaptations outside of the blockbusters themselves.
The famous running through America scenes from Forrest Gump almost never happened (Paramount Pictures)
On the scenes, Hanks said he would go off every weekend to film across the States, revealing he once shot for 27 days straight due to the pressures to get what was needed for the film.
“But before we started it, one of the studio guys said ‘you’re going to have to cut that’,” Hanks revealed.
“And when I found out they had to cut that I felt bad.
“Then I got this call from my agent saying ‘the director, Bob Zemeckis, wants to talk to you’. And I thought, ‘I am so fired now’.”
@tomhanksand director Robert Zemeckis made a creative call in “Forrest Gump” that cost them in the short term but has paid off for generations! #Colbert #ForrestGump
♬ original sound – colbertlateshow – colbertlateshow
Hanks continued: “Because when you get that call – the director is coming to your house to talk to you – that means you’re out, baby.
“But Bob came out and he said ‘Tom, Tom. I cannot, I cannot, I cannot, I cannot make a movie without the star of the movie as my soulmate. So you and I have to be joined at the hip throughout all of this’.”
Hanks revealed the duo ended up paying for this segment of the film out of their own pay cheques for the movie; something that was ‘a lot of money’.
But they were the ones left laughing, with an agreement put in place to receive a percentage of takings for the movie – known as points – in return.
Hanks then turned to the crowd grinning, knowing just how much more money he had pocketed as a result of taking the gamble.
In total, Forrest Gump grossed $678.2 million worldwide, which translates to around $1.69 billion in 2024.
Take a bow, Woody.