Last Updated on August 5, 2024
Every now and then I always wonder how they did it in Forrest Gump Ping Pong. A lot of questions are asked about how the movie went. Viewers have asked the questions severally, was it real? Was he trained for months to achieve it? Was that really Tom hanks playing? Every single question came down to “Did Tom hanks really play ping pong in Forest Gump?”.
Ok let’s calm down a little. What is this Forrest Gump ping pong movie all about?
Forrest Gump Ping Pong – Tom Hanks Really Played Ping Pong?
Forrest Gump is a 1994 American comedy movie set on the story of slow-witted man (Tom Hanks) named Forrest Gump.
Robert Zemeckis was the director and it was written by Eric Roth.
The movie was based on the 1986 novel by Winston Groom. The movie starred the likes of Mykelti Williamson, Gary Sinise, Sally Field and Robin Wright.
It was based on several decades of the life of Forrest Gump – a slow witted but kind hearted man who is said to have been from Alabama who witnesses and unintentionally influenced some significant event in history in the United States.
In the movie, it depicted Tom playing ping pong like a pro and this brings up a lot of questing for people already familiar with the game about if really Tom Hanks played ping pong but I would say “Hell No”.
An actor might be good in taking a character but no actor can do a stunt he has no ability.
So, how did they achieve those tricks. Well, don’t get yourself all worked up over thinking how it was achieved.
The world has changed even in 1994, the world was already improving massively.
The Facts of Forrest Gump Ping Pong
It’s no surprise that the movie industry has evolved over the years.
Silent films turned on surround sound features and with the increased use of special effects, computer images (CGI) are enhancing physical performance.
Computer generated images (CGI) are digital graphics that enhance a film production.
They work alongside special effects in creating scenes that are almost impossible to to film.
Some examples of this include having people look like they are flying or doing a stunt that is impossible to do physically.
Check the below video – Making of Forrest Gump Ping Pong:
Just like we see in Forrest Gump, where he played ping pong like a pro where as in real life he possibly might know nothing about ping pong.
I am very sure when he watched the movie, he would have lost his mind seeing himself do what he couldn’t.
From statistics, it can take 5-15 years of dedicated practice to reach a “really good” level in ping pong
All these also depends on how much a player practice.
A player who practices a lot will definitely be nearer to using 5 years achieve a “really good” and a player who practices less will take longer.
Conclusion
So technically if we were to say Tom Hanks really played ping pong on Forrest Gump, then he would have practiced for an average of more than 5 years or more to get that good for the filming.
He would have had a lot of time in his hands and been paid enough to dedicate that time to the preparation of filming a movie of which I am very sure as a known actor, he definitely doesn’t have that luxury of time.
