Can you believe it's twenty years since Robert Zemeckis's Forrest Gump was first released? The weepy drama that won the 1994 Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Director, Best Visual Effects, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing has gone into film history as not only a great movie, but one of Tom Hanks' finest performances.

It's hard to imagine any other actor in the role of the titular Forrest, yet Bill Murray, Chevy Chase and John Travolta all turned down the opportunity, and Hanks himself had to audition just like everybody else. Take a look below at his touching audition tape, also starring Robin Wright and an adorably little Haley Joel Osment, who even helps Hanks out with a line.

 

From watching the tape it's clear to see why Hanks was chosen for the role; his chemistry with Wright and Osment is undeniable. Straight after Forrest Gump, Hanks went on to make Apollo 13 and Toy Story, two more classic films that defined the nineties.

Hanks isn't the only actor to have an old audition tape surface recently- Canadian actress Rachel McAdams was presented with footage of her audition for The Notebook during a television appearence back in July. Is there a new trend for releasing adorable audition tapes of iconic roles? If so, we've got a list of others we'd like to see, starting with Leo and Kate for Titanic...

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