During the 25th anniversary of “Forrest Gump,” Tom Hanks told USA Today about his experience during the film’s production. Hanks characterized the film as “an absolute crapshoot,” calling it a “really crazy, unique motion picture.” At the time of filming, Hanks had some serious doubts about the character’s narration, worrying that it wouldn’t resonate with audiences. “Is anybody going to (care) about this?” Hanks remembered asking director Robert Zemeckis. The bus stop scene starts off the movie with Forrest talking to an uninterested nurse who comes to sit at the bus stop. That location is a narrative anchor throughout Gump’s story and the film.

Hanks also talked about the scene with the ReelBlend podcast in June (via CNN): “I will tell you, in ‘Forrest Gump,’ all the stuff that we shot on the park bench in Savannah, Georgia … we were just shooting fodder for a possible narrative piece of it.” Again, Hanks asked Zemeckis if anyone was going to care about “this nut” on a bench, which entailed 13 pages of dialogue filmed over a day and a half. But Zemeckis stuck to his guns, telling Hanks, “I don’t know, it’s a minefield, Tom, it’s a minefield. You never know what people are gonna take away from it.” 

And just like pulling a creamy, caramel-centered candy from a box of chocolates, they got a keeper of a scene.