AfterForrest Gump, Tom Hank’s next movie in his filmography surprisingly paid off a line by Gary Sinise’s Lieutenant Dan.Forrest Gumpis one of the most famous movies of all timedue to its highly quotable nature and the clever way that Tom Hank’sForrest Gump met real life historical figures. The iconic movie has a 95% Popcornmeter and is certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, despite being released 30 years ago, withGoogle even having aForrest GumpEaster eggon the search page – a feature designed to celebrate prominent popular culture, like aMinecraftmini-game for searching “minecraft.”
Forrest Gumpfollowed the life of its titular character and his experiences in 20th century United States. The comedy-drama touches on numerous different events in history, although many questionForrest Gump’shistorical accuracy, as Forrest finds himself inspiring Elvis Presley, fighting in the Vietnam War, and meeting President John F. Kennedy.Forrest Gump’sclever commentary on America through the eyes of a simple Alabaman man enabled its success, with supporting characters, such as Lieutenant Dan, providing thoughtful insights into Hanks’ character. Interestingly, however,one line by Lieutenant Dan leads to a surprising connection to Tom Hanks’ follow-up movie,Apollo 13.
How Apollo 13 Paid Off A Lt. Dan Line From Forrest Gump
Gary Sinise Foreshadowed His Own Role
Apollo 13paid off a Lieutenant Dan line fromForrest Gumpbecause it foreshadowed Tom Hanks and Gary Sinise’s future roles. In 1994’sForrest Gump, Lieutenant Dan expresses disbelief about Forrest’s career aspirations, saying “If you’re ever a shrimp boat captain, that’s the day I’m an astronaut.”Gary Sinise’s Lieutenant Dan has had a surprising impact followingForrest Gump, with veterans praising his portrayal, butnobody thought Sinise’s line had any deeper meaning to it until afterApollo 13was released a year later, revealing that Gary Sinise would be an astronaut after all, making Lieutenant Dan’s proclamation much funnier.
The Green Mile(1999)
Nominated
Released in 1995,Apollo 13was asurvival movie based on the thrilling true storyabout a group of astronauts who took part in a near-fatal NASA mission in 1970. The docudrama movie received critical acclaim, earning $355 million at the box office, and was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”Gary Sinise and Tom Hanks featured inApollo 13as key members of the crew, although Sinise’s character, Ken Mattingly, was grounded shortly before the mission. However, to make matters weirder,Forrest Gump’sbook delves further into this astronaut connection.
Forrest Gump Being Book Accurate Would’ve Made Apollo 13 Weirder
Forrest Gump Also Went To Space
While there are a lot ofdifferences between Winston Groom’s original book andForrest Gump, one particular book detail would have madeApollo 13even weirder. In the movie, Lieutenant Dan makes good on his promise and joins Forrest as his first mate in the shrimping business. However,in Winston Groom’sForrest Gump, Lieutenant Dan has nothing to do with Forrest’s shrimping business. The book also portrays Forrest Gump as more foul-mouthed and aggressive than Tom Hanks’ passive character, despite retaining his childlike personality, and there are numerous other differences, like Forrest meeting Bubba in college instead of the Army.
Forrest Gump Ending Explained
Forrest Gump is a fictional larger-than-life story of the “slow-witted” Forrest Gump and the way he touches the lives of everyone around him.
However,Forrest Gump’strip to space in Winston Groom’s book would have madeApollo 13even weirder. In theForrest Gumpbook,Forrest Gump becomes an astronaut and goes to space with an orangutan named Sue. This strange plotline was completely missed in the 1994 movie adaptation, most likely due to reasons related to film length and for being a bit too ridiculous for the movie. If the movie was book accurate though,Tom Hanks would have had two astronaut roles consecutively in his filmography, making his appearance inApollo 13,one year afterForrestGumppremiered,even weirder.
Forrest Gump
Cast
Forrest Gump is a drama film released in 1994, starring Tom Hanks as the titular character. The film explores the life of a man with a low IQ who inadvertently shapes several historical events, while his personal journey remains centered on his unrequited love for childhood friend Jenny.
