Technology
Gary Sinise Snuck A Midnight Cowboy Homage Into His Forrest Gump Performance
During the scene in question, Lt. Dan and his old pal Forrest (Tom Hanks) — having only just reunited — are trying to cross a busy New York street overrun by yellow cabs. When one of the taxis almost hits him and his wheelchair, a drunk and agitated Dan yells at the driver, "Hey, hey, hey! Are you blind? I'm walkin' here!" (all while banging on the hood of the car with his free hand). This amusing bit doubles as a nice little reference to the scene in "Midnight Cowboy" where Hoffman's Ratso similarly tells a taxi driver to go to hell while talking to Voight's character as they cross a road in NYC. Of course, this is just one of the dozens of historical and pop culture references that "Forrest Gump" implements into its story (which was inspired by three real-life men), though most of its nods to real-life events and people take dramatic liberties as part of the film's fictional narrative.
Still, Sinise's creative contribution and portrayal of Lt. Dan stand out in several ways. Most notably, the actor received numerous letters and phone calls of support from real Vietnam War veterans after the movie was released, and he was even invited to appear at a national convention held by the Disabled American Veterans Organization, which he accepted. He once recalled the event on the "Jake's Takes" podcast, explaining, "I walked out on stage and there were 2,000 wounded veterans, going back all the way to World War II, and they were applauding me for playing Lt. Dan." He added, "That galvanized my support for our wounded way back then, and I saw the power of what playing that character actually did for people."
During the scene in question, Lt. Dan and his old pal Forrest (Tom Hanks) — having only just reunited — are trying to cross a busy New York street overrun by yellow cabs. When one of the taxis almost hits him and his wheelchair, a drunk and agitated Dan yells at the driver, "Hey, hey, hey! Are you blind? I'm walkin' here!" (all while banging on the hood of the car with his free hand). This amusing bit doubles as a nice little reference to the scene in "Midnight Cowboy" where Hoffman's Ratso similarly tells a taxi driver to go to hell while talking to Voight's character as they cross a road in NYC. Of course, this is just one of the dozens of historical and pop culture references that "Forrest Gump" implements into its story (which was inspired by three real-life men), though most of its nods to real-life events and people take dramatic liberties as part of the film's fictional narrative.
Still, Sinise's creative contribution and portrayal of Lt. Dan stand out in several ways. Most notably, the actor received numerous letters and phone calls of support from real Vietnam War veterans after the movie was released, and he was even invited to appear at a national convention held by the Disabled American Veterans Organization, which he accepted. He once recalled the event on the "Jake's Takes" podcast, explaining, "I walked out on stage and there were 2,000 wounded veterans, going back all the way to World War II, and they were applauding me for playing Lt. Dan." He added, "That galvanized my support for our wounded way back then, and I saw the power of what playing that character actually did for people."
