Tom Hanks Says Forrest Gump Was Right To Beat Pulp Fiction At The 1995 Oscars
Tom Hanks defended Forrest GumpCritics’ Best Picture Oscar win.
In 1995, Robert Zemeckis’ film, which Hanks produced and starred in, was named best film of the previous year at the awards ceremony.
However, over the years he’s been endured as an unworthy winner, not least because of a movie he beat out.
Best Picture nominees that year included Four weddings and a funeral, The Shawshank Redemption and quiz show – but it was the last film many thought should have won the award: Quentin Tarantino pulp Fiction.
In a recent interview withThe New York TimesHanks said, “The problem with Forrest Gump is it made a billion dollars. If we had just made a blockbuster movie, Bob and I would have been geniuses. But because we made a wildly successful movie, we were evil geniuses.
He continued, “Is that a bad problem to have? No, but there are books about the greatest movies of all time, and Forrest Gump doesn’t appear because, oh, it’s that sappy nostalgia fest. Every year there’s an article titled “The Movie That Should Have Won Best Picture” and it’s always pulp Fiction.”
He went on to describe pulp Fiction as “a masterpiece without a doubt”, but defended Forrest Gumpin the spotlight by highlighting his famous “magic legs” scene.
“Look, I don’t know, but there’s an undeniable heartbreaking moment of humanity in Forrest Gump when Gary Sinise – he plays Lt. Dan – and his Asian wife arrive at our house the day Forrest and Jenny are getting married.
Tom Hanks defended the honor of “Forrest Gump”
(Getty Images)
Hanks called the scene “immaterial shit”, saying it helps the viewer “understand all they’ve been through and feel gratitude for every ounce of pain and tragedy they’ve survived”.
“It’s not just about running with Duane Eddy’s ‘Rebel Rouser,'” he added, referring to Hanks’ lead character scenes, which led to the famous quote: “Run, Forrest, run.”
Movies have long won Oscars when they shouldn’t have – you can find a full list here.
Hanks will next be seen alongside Austin Butler in Baz Luhrmann’s Elviswhich comes out on June 24.