What Happened To The Cast Of Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump was perhaps the greatest film to come out of 1994. It won six Academy Awards, including Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Actor for Tom Hanks. The film has since proven itself a pop culture phenomenon that has equated life with the uncertainty of a box of chocolates.
Aside from that "Gumpism," it has also given us the memorable quote: "Run, Forrest! Run!" Whatever happened to the little girl who said that line? Read on to see what she looks like now and learn what the rest of the cast has been up to following the film's success. Also, find out what happened to that long-awaited sequel!
Forrest Gump – Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks already won his first Academy Award for Best Actor by the time he played Forrest Gump, a role that won him his second consecutive Oscar in the same category. At that point, he solidified his position as one of Hollywood's most critically-acclaimed actors.
In 1996, he made his directorial debut with That Thing You Do! and has gone on to direct and produce a number of other productions, particularly HBO's Band of Brothers. Aside from his prolific career, Hanks remains married to his wife of over 30 years, Rita Wilson.
Jenny Curran – Robin Wright
Robin Wright was already known for starring in The Princess Bride before she signed on to play Forrest's life-long love, Jenny Curran. Aside from starring roles in late '90s films Moll Flanders and She's So Lovely, Wright's career went under the radar and was overshadowed by her on-and-off 20-year relationship with Sean Penn, with whom she shares two children.
Wright made a comeback as Claire Underwood in House of Cards, for which she won a Golden Globe.
Mrs. Gump – Sally Field
Sally Field was already an A-lister in Hollywood with two Academy Awards for Best Actress when she was cast as Forrest's loving mother, Mrs. Gump. Following her prolific film career, Field took on the 2000s with a recurring role on ER as Maggie Lockhart, for which she won an Emmy. She won another in 2007 for her role as Nora Walker on Brothers & Sisters.
Field continues to act in film and television. She returned to the stage to reprise her role as Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie.
Bubba Blue – Mykelti Williamson
Mykelti Williamson's role as Forrest Gump's best friend Bubba is perhaps one of his most notable roles, in which he had to wear a prosthetic bumper for his lower lip. After Forrest Gump, Williamson continued to have a prolific career both in film and on television.
He has had roles on Justified, Designated Survivor, and Chicago P.D. Despite a long-standing Hollywood career, Williamson maintains a relatively low profile, though he does engage with fans on social media. On Instagram, he hearkens back to his role as Bubba by sharing shrimp-centric selfies for #shrimpsaturday.
Lieutenant Dan – Gary Sinise
After playing Lieutenant Dan, Gary Sinise would team up with Tom Hanks again for Apollo 13 and The Green Mile. Sinise has also showcased his directorial talents with films like Miles from Home and Of Mice and Men.
In the early 2000s, he became a regular on television's CSI series and Criminal Minds. Outside of acting, Sinise is known for co-founding the Lt. Dan Band and is a fervent supporter of United States veterans.
Principal Hancock – Sam Anderson
Remember the principal from Forrest Gump? The one who wouldn't let Forrest attend public school until he convinced Mrs. Gump to sleep with him? That sleazy principal was played by Sam Anderson, who you might have seen in elsewhere considering his prolific television career.
Anderson is best known for his role as Bernard Nadler on Lost and Sam Gorpley on Perfect Strangers, although he's appeared on a host of other shows over several decades.
Drill Sergeant – Afemo Omilami
The role of the Drill Sergeant may have been a small part, but Afemo Omilami has been a Hollywood veteran long before he started screaming compliments at Forrest Gump. He's been on multiple television shows and has had recurring roles on Saints & Sinners, Survivor's Remorse, and True Detective.
Omilami continued to shine on the big screen as well with roles in Remember the Titans, The Blind Side, and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1. Outside of acting, Omilami and his wife support Atlanta's Hosea Feed the Hungry to combat homelessness and food scarcity.
Forrest Jr. – Haley Joel Osment
Before his breakout role on The Sixth Sense, Haley Joel Osment landed the small role as Forrest Jr. after the casting director noticed him from a Pizza Hut commercial. With two major Hollywood films under his belt and an Oscar nomination before becoming a teen, everyone had high hopes that Osment would embark on an A-lister career.
However, aside from voice work for animated films and video games, Osment chose to go to college at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Osment has also returned to acting, most notably on HBO's Silicon Valley.
Wesley – Geoffrey Blake
When Forrest reunites with Jenny in Washington, D.C. following his tour in Vietnam, she takes him to a Black Panther protest where he meets her boyfriend, Wesley. Despite being the president of Berkeley's Students for a Democratic Society and an anti-war protestor, Wesley also proves to be abusive and violent.
Wesley was played by Geoffrey Blake, whose acting career dates back to 1983. Following Forrest Gump, Blake has appeared in a number of TV shows. He also appeared on Legends of Tomorrow, Grimm, and The Man in the High Castle.
Dorothy Harris – Siobhan Fallon Hogan
Siobhan Fallon Hogan played the School Bus Driver in Forrest Gump. Although she doesn't get an actual name in the cast list, she does introduce herself as Dorothy Harris to Forrest Jr. on his first day of school at the end of the film.
Despite her small part in Forrest Gump, Hogan had been acting since the early '90s. She had a stint on Seinfeld as Elaine's weird roommate and was a Saturday Night Live cast member from 1991 to 1992. She went on to star in films like Holes and New in Town and does frequent collaborations with director Lars von Trier.
Bear Bryant – Sonny Shroyer
After Forrest manages to outrun a truck of bullies, University of Alabama football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant takes notice and offers him a football scholarship. While Bryant was an actual person in real life, he was portrayed in the movie by actor Sonny Shroyer.
If you saw Forrest Gump and thought he did look a bit familiar, it's because Shroyer is best known for his role as Deputy Enos Strate from The Dukes of Hazzard. After Forrest Gump, Shroyer has continued to act, including on Dead End and The Resident.
Long Limbs Lenore – Marla Sucharetza
After appearing on the Dick Cavett Show for his success as a ping pong player, Forrest runs into Lieutenant Dan in New York City, where the latter lives in squalor. They go out on New Year's Eve and are met by two women, one of which is Long Limbs Lenore. After Forrest denies her advances, she calls him stupid which upsets Lieutenant Dan.
Lenore was played by actress Marla Sucharetza, who you might've seen outside of Forrest Gump on shows like Seinfeld, Law & Order, The Nanny Diaries, and The Good Wife.
Young Jenny – Hanna Hall
Hanna Hall was nine years old when she was cast as young Jenny Curran in Forrest Gump. Hall is credited with saying the film's most quotable line: "Run, Forrest! Run!" Forrest Gump was Hall's film debut and she subsequently went on to have a part in Homecoming.
In 1999, she landed the role of Cecilia Lisbon in Sofia Coppola's The Virgin Suicides and her career took off from there. Aside from a number of short films, you might have seen Hall in 2007's Halloween, or on the show Criminal Minds. Otherwise, she spends much of her time directing underground theater.
Author Winston Groom Was Furious But Let The Sequel Happen
Forrest Gump was based on a novel of the same name by author Winston Groom, who was paid $350,000 for the rights to the screenplay and three-percent of the film's net profits – not even a fraction of what Tom Hanks and director Robert Zemeckis made off the film.
Groom was obviously furious but came to a resolution with Paramount Pictures, signing a seven-figure deal with the company for the rights to his second novel Gump & Co. At this point, Groom gave the go-ahead to make a sequel.
