The Cast of Forrest Gump, Then and Now

It’s been over 25 years since the hit film ForrestGump came to this world. One look at how much the cast members changed over the years makes it obvious just how long it has been.

Robin Wright as Jenny

In the film, Robin Wright was the love of Forrest’s life, Jenny, and played a huge role in his character development throughout the story. But the movie wasn’t her first major role, nor where she started. That would be the nighttime soap Santa Barbara, with her real rise to popularity being the role she played as the titular character of the classic The Princess Bride. There’s little doubt that her success in those roles influenced the decision to have her play Jenny in Forrest Gump.

Robin Wright – Now

Robin Wright’s career in film and TV hasn’t slowed down at all since Forrest Gump. In fact, one could say it has only accelerated. She was nominated for several awards due to her performance in the TV series Drama House of Cards, which ended in 2018, and she played in Wonder Woman as well. Her life has not changed that much since 1994: she was acting then, and she’s acting now, but she has a much more extensive repertoire.

Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump

The star of Forrest Gump, Tom Hanks was a celebrated actor before the film, having already possessed an Academy Award thanks to his performance in Philadelphia. It was just a year later when he won another Oscar for Best Actor thanks to Forrest Gump, playing a not too bright but big-hearted man thrust into the turmoil of post World War Two America. However, we never would have gotten Hanks at all if John Travolta hadn’t turned the role down first.

Tom Hanks – Now

What Tom Hanks is up to now is a little surprising: selling peanuts and hot dogs at baseball team Oakland A’s games. He used to sell snacks in stadiums when he was 14. Making the whole thing even more amusing is the fact that there’s no one to actually sell anything to, as the stadiums are filled with cardboard cutouts while teams actually play during the 2020 pandemic. Tom Hanks’ voice will be selling hot dogs to these fake attendees for the amusement of fans watching on TV.