Random Crazy Behind-the-Scenes Facts About Forrest Gump (20 items)

(#20) Author Winston Groom Did Not Earn Any Royalty Money

Winston Groom's 1986 novel Forrest Gump earned the writer 3% of the net profits from the film adaptation. In theory, at least. Groom didn't receive a dime in royalty money, even though the movie sold $677 million in tickets. How could this be?
Paramount contends that, despite the monster box office success of Forrest Gump, the studio didn't earn back the money it spent on production, promotion, distribution, and marketing. This claim is somewhat suspicious when you consider Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis each made at least $31 million for their share of the profits (although, to be fair, Zemeckis and Hanks got points on gross profit, not net).
Groom took Paramount to court, where a judge pointed out the bad contract Groom signed. In the end, Groom made about $350,000 off the movie, though secured a seven figure deal up front when he sold his sequel, Gump & Co., to Paramount.
(#1) Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis Saved the Production by Paying for the Running Scenes

During an interview with Yahoo Movies, Hanks explained how close Forrest Gump came to getting shut down because of financial issues.
"The studio was one day away from pulling the plug on this one movie I was going to make, and the director came to my house and said, ‘Look, this is going to fall apart because they won’t give us the budget for shooting this one sequence, and we’ve got to have this sequence."
Director Robert Zemeckis proposed that he and Hanks split the cost of shooting that sequence, so that the studio would allow them to make the film they envisioned.
"I said, ‘All right.’ And the sequence was Forrest running across the country," Hanks revealed. "And we were 48 hours away from it being shut down. So I’m glad that worked out."
The running-across-the-country sequences contain perhaps the most iconic images in a movie filled with iconic imagery. It's Forrest's way of responding to Jenny leaving him. He was told by her at a young age to run away from danger, and that's exactly what Forrest does as an adult.
(#18) Gary Sinise Tours the World in the Lt. Dan Band

Gary Sinise took his iconic character in Forrest Gump and started his own band. The actor plays the bass as part of a 12-piece rock ensemble. Lt. Dan Band performs cover songs at USO shows, entertaining troops. They also raise money for disabled veterans by playing at benefit concerts around the world.
(#6) All the Ping Pong Balls Were CGI

There's a lot of CGI in Forrest Gump. The most obvious examples are Lt. Dan's missing legs, and when Forrest stands next to President Kennedy and John Lennon. What you may be surprised to learn is that, in the scene when Forrest plays ping pong match in China, there are no ping pong balls in the scene. A behind-the-scenes DVD explains that Hanks and his competitor are swatting air, timing their paddle movement to the sound of clicks. The ball was added in post production.
(#9) John Travolta Turned Down the Role of Forrest Gump

John Travolta was the first choice to play the titular character. He said no, and wasn't the only one to turn down the role that earned Tom Hanks his second straight Oscar for Best Actor (he won the year before for Philadelphia.) Both Bill Murray and Chevy Chase also passed on Gump. Travolta would go on to say passing on the part was a major mistake.
Despite the Gump gaff, Travolta accepted the role of Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction, which was released the same year as Forrest Gump. The role re-launched Travolta's career and earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
(#7) Tom Hanks Had Scripted Lines When His Microphone Turns Off

Forrest Gump is asked to share his experiences in Vietnam in front of a sea of people in Washington DC, during an anti-war protest. He approaches the microphone, but someone pulls the plug, and his words aren't heard. The man standing next to him on stage hears him, and is deeply moved. So what did Forrest say?
According to Hanks, he said, "Sometimes when people go to Vietnam, they go home to their mommas without any legs. Sometimes they don't go home at all. That's a bad thing. That's all I have to say about that."