The Boy Who Gave Voice To "Forrest Gump"
Michael Humphreys made his acting debut playing ‘Young Forrest’ in Forrest Gump . Though he was just eight years old at the time, his performance had an enormous impact on the movie's success. Born in Memphis, Tennessee and raised in rural Independence, Mississippi, Humphreys was cast from an open call which drew hundreds of hopefuls to Memphis shortly before Forrest Gump went into production. His mother was inspired to bring him to audition after seeing a television commercial that said the filmmakers were looking for a boy who looked like “a young Tom Hanks, with light eyes and a quirky disposition.” “That’s Michael,” his mother realized. As producer Steve Starkey recalled, “Ellen Lewis, our casting director, brought this tape of his audition out to us in Los Angeles. After seeing it, director Bob Zemeckis had a big smile on his face, because he’d just seen this unique character that so far he hadn’t seen anywhere.” As a result, Michael Humphreys proceeded to the next phase of
