An iconic scene from the hit film Forrest Gump was very nearly cut, and it would have changed the movie entirely.
Fans believe a change to how the Tom Hanks-starring Hollywood film plays out would need to be made if the scene in question had been cut, as was originally intended in early drafts of the film.
It was kept in, however, and has since gone on to define the film and remains a highly praised moment in the award-winning movie.
A post to the r/TodayILearned Reddit page had fans sharing their thoughts on what Forrest Gump would have been like if it cut one of its most memorable moments.
A fan wrote: “Today I learned that the famous running montage from Forrest Gump was almost cut from the movie.”
The scene in question features Gump, played by Hanks, running for miles over three years simply because he wanted to. Along the way he meets several pop culture figures and members of the public inspired by his need to keep moving.
That scene and montage of Gump’s journey across America and back was nearly cut from the film, though. The cost of the scene is what had concerned studio producers at the time.
Both Hanks and director Robert Zemeckis agreed to a pay cut which would see funds freed up for the montage, and they would then take back their cash. Hanks explained to Stephen Colbert: “This is actually movie economics 101.
“Let’s knock money out of our salary and we will pay for it ourselves.” Zemeckis reportedly told Hanks they could take the money out at the end and receive “points” from producers.
Fans are glad the filmmakers stuck with the montage scene and have since heaped praise on the moment which has defined Forrest Gump for decades.
One person shared: “As a kid I remember that line being yelled at to anyone who was seen running.” Another added: “Thank goodness it wasn’t. What’s Forrest without run?”
A third fan of the film praised the production for not cutting the iconic running scenes, suggesting it is one of the most memorable parts of the movie.
They shared: “That most definitely shouldn’t have been removed. They made the right choice keeping it in. What’re we supposed to yell at randoms we see running in the street?”
Others were left wondering how the film compares to the book, with Gump’s years-long run across the US certainly more believable than some of the world events he is involved in throughout the source material.
One fan wrote: “There’s an easy way to tell: If you like something in the movie, it wasn’t in the book.”
Another replied: “For all intents and purposes it’s usually true for most applications but this is Forrest Gump we’re talking about. The same novel also has Forrest becoming part of early NASA astronauts going into space with a pet chimp.”