Tom Hanks Made The Right Choice In Turning Down Shawshank Redemption
When Tom Hanks was offered the role of Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption, he turned the offer down in favor of starring in Forrest Gump, a career-defining role. By playing Forrest Gump instead of Dufresne, Hanks won Best Actor in the 67th Academy Awards in 1995. Shawshank Redemption lost in every category it was nominated for, proving the film may have prevented Hanks from advancing his career.
Forrest Gump won a total of six Oscars and grossed nearly 700,000,000 dollars whereasThe Shawshank Redemption was a box office flop, having earned only $16,000,000 for its initial theatrical run. The film grew in popularity and cult status upon rerelease, slowly over time becoming considered one of the best films ever made, by critics and audiences alike. There were many actors before Tim Robbins who were considered for Shawshank Redemption's Andy Dufresne. Kevin Costner, Tom Cruise, and Johnny Depp are just a few. Tim Robbins believes there is a definitive reason The Shawshank Redemption was never a box office hit like Forrest Gump and has claimed, «Well, it’s the title, no one can remember the title» (via Entertainment Weekly).
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Tim Robbins was probably correct in assuming that The Shawshank Redemption's financial failure had to do with something as simple as an unmemorable title. Robbins is an acclaimed actor himself and has won Best Actor awards in prestigious ceremonies, such as Cannes and The Golden Globes. Despite his phenomenal portrayal of Andy Dufresne, Shawshank Redemption still performed poorly at the box office. If Tom Hanks had accepted the role of Andy instead of Forrest, Frank Darabont's film would likely have experienced the
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