Tom Hanks' Brother, His Body Double in 'Forrest Gump,' Reveals 32-Year Secret From Classic Film

Forrest Gump hit the silver screen more than three decades ago, and all these years later, there are still some wonderful nuggets coming to light for the first time.

Jim Hanks, the younger brother of two-time Academy Award winner Tom Hanks, recently appeared on the Love It Film podcast and walked down memory lane, from playing Tom's body double in Forrest Gump to lending his voice for Toy Story's Woody in toys and video games.

Both grabbed headlines for obvious reasons, given that both films are classics in their own right. But what people might not know is that Jim, 64, played Tom's body double in the 1994 romedy, also starring Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Sally Field, and Mykelti Williamson. Tom, 69, famously ran and ran until his little heart gave out, but it was Jim doing most of the running.

"Pretty much all that running stuff, if you can't see his face, it's me. If you can see his face, it's obviously him," Jim revealed on the latest episode of the Love It Film podcast.

Jim also hilariously offered insight into exactly how he watches Forrest Gump.

"Every time I watch the movie, I'm going, 'Me, me, me, Tom,' " he quipped.

Jim said he feels "fortunate" that he took in "any part of it," adding that part of his duties included flying to locations like Montana and North Carolina to film.

Then there's what happened while filming in Vermont.

"I was running along this road, and the camera is on the other side of this field, but the cows kept looking at the camera," Jim shared. "I was running, and they said, 'The cows keep looking at the cameras. So, when you're running, can you yell and whoop and whatever to get them to look at you?'"

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/pvVVctVc40M

Jim obliged

"So, I'm running like, 'Hey, cow, cow!'" he said. "I'm trying not to look like I'm just screaming at the top of my voice as I'm doing that Gump trot."

Also on the podcast, Jim shared that, for years, he stepped into the recording booth to lend his voice to Woody from Toy Story, with the voice used in toys and video games.

As for why, it's worth watching the entire podcast.

Tom, of course, won an Oscar for Best Actor in 1994, his second straight statue after winning the same award for his role in Philadelphia.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 21, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 10:08 PM.