Forrest Gump is considered a heartwarming classic, but before Tom Hanks was cast the role was originally meant to go to John Travolta - here's why that wouldn't have worked. Based on Winston Groom's 1986 novel of the same name, Forrest Gump takes a tour of American history through the latter part of the 20th century by way of a slow-witted but kind-hearted southern boy. As he navigates his way through changing times and relationships, Forrest's search for meaning and purpose reflects that of the general American consciousness.
Leading up to the film's production, Tom Hanks had built up a strong career through leading roles in comedies like Big or romances like Sleepless in Seattle. Just before Gump, he won Best Actor at the Academy Awards for 1993 drama Philadelphia. Forrest Gump is now one of the actor's most defining performances, but the original choice for the titular role wasn't Hanks - it was John Travolta.
Travolta had established himself in the 1970s with Saturday Night Fever and Grease before hitting a run of critical and commercial failures throughout the 80s. It's difficult to imagine Travolta lending Gump the same innocent charm Hanks was able to provide and being three years Hanks' senior, it begs the question of whether audiences would've bought Travolta as a younger Forrest too. Though Tom Hanks was somewhat of a risk considering his comedic pedigree, his Philadelphia turn cemented his ability to command a dramatic vehicle like Forrest Gump. For Travolta, the role would've represented a comeback attempt, and potentially a much riskier proposition.
While it's obviously not true of every performance, Travolta does have a tendency as an actor to go a little broader or even hammier, which can be seen in everything from Face/Off to 2019's The Fan. This is another reason he may not have been the best fit for Forrest Gump. As it turns out, Travolta would get his comeback in the form of Pulp Fiction; a similarly celebrated critical darling and pop culture mainstay, but with less singular weight on Travolta's shoulders as Vincent Vega. His off-kilter smoothness fit much more comfortably in the role of Marcellus Wallace's enforcer. In fact, Travolta wasn't the initial choice for Vega either; Tarantino had hoped to use Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs), but Madsen instead opted to appear in Kevin Costner's Wyatt Earp. Travolta's Pulp Fiction role paid off in a big way, earning him a nomination for Best Actor and revitalizing his career.
Ironically, he lost the Oscar to Tom Hanks performance as Forrest Gump. Interestingly enough, their fellow nominee Tim Robbins wasn't the initial choice for his role in The Shawshank Redemption either. Andy Dufresne was first offered to Hanks, who passed to play Gump. The three films which headlined the 1994 Best Picture class each jostled with one another from development through production and release and each has gone down as a classic in its own right. In this regard, audiences should be thankful Hanks ended up with Forrest Gump while Travolta lent his talents instead to Pulp Fiction.