See His 'Forrest Gump' Audition

It's been 20 years since Forrest Gump was released; can you believe it? As sometimes happens with such anniversaries, new details about the film have surfaced. Most notably, Tom Hanks' audition tape has appeared on YouTube. It seems to have been included on a DVD of the film already years back, but it's only making the rounds on the Internet now, and thankfully so — it's kind of great.

Also, Vanity Fair points out that this might just be screentest footage, rather than an audition, but besides the point.

In the beginning of the clip, Hanks interacts with Robin Wright's Jenny. Noticeably missing is his accent, which I hadn't realized was so integral to the character until its absence. It is present in the younger Forrest, played by Michael Conner Humphreys, though, which likely means that Hanks based his accent on that of Humphreys, rather than the other way around.

And indeed, Hanks has admitted that he modeled his iconic accent on Humphreys' native Mississippi drawl.

Whether or not it's an actual audition tape — which seems unlikely, as much of the camera isn't actually focused on Hanks — it's a very interesting watch. My favorite part? When Hanks asks his movie son, played by Haley Joel Osment, for a line, presumably to comfort Osment for messing up a few of his own.