Michael Conner Humphreys, the actor who portrayed young Forrest in the movie Forrest Gump, talks to Paul Leslie. Read or watch the exclusive interview below.
Welcome to a special edition of The Paul Leslie Hour.
Today, we have an exclusive interview with Michael Conner Humphreys, the talented actor best known for his iconic role as young Forrest Gump in the beloved eponymous film.
Michael’s journey from a small-town Mississippi childhood to the bright lights of Hollywood and beyond is as captivating as the character he portrayed.
Young Forrest Gump, Michael Conner Humphreys
In this in-depth conversation, Michael Conner Humphreys opens up about:
- his early memories
- the unexpected path that led him to Portland, Oregon
- and his experiences in the United States Army.
Humphreys also reflects on the influence of movies like Indiana Jones and Top Gun on his life and shares his thoughts on working with the legendary director Robert Zemeckis and the late author Winston Groom.
Whether you’re a long-time fan or new to his story, this interview offers a unique glimpse into the life of an actor who brought a timeless character to life.
You can also watch the video version on YouTube
Here’s Michael Conner Humphreys on The Paul Leslie Hour.
Michael, sir, how are you doing?
Oh, not bad. I do a graveyard shift, so I’ve been asleep most of the day while the sun’s up and just crawling out now.
Well, I appreciate you doing this. So where in the world are you right now?
Portland, Portland, Oregon. Okay.
What brought you to Portland, Oregon?
I came here about 10 years ago to shoot an independent film. Somebody had invited me to do a role in an indie film here. I started coming out here then to shoot, went on multiple trips over the course of a couple of years.
About three years ago, my girlfriend and I were wanting to move out of Mississippi. We were talking about places we could go, and Portland came up.
It’s nice around here. I like the city itself but also the mountains and all the hiking and outdoor stuff available. I told her about that, sold her on it, and we came out here and set up shop. So, it’s home now.
So, you’re getting settled?
Yeah, I actually live on the Washington side in Vancouver. It’s the Portland area but on the Washington state side. I’m technically in Washington but in the greater Portland area. It’s about five minutes from downtown Portland, barring traffic. Traffic can make it more like a 45-minute trip, but that’s just how it is in a major city.
I do like it here, it’s really nice. We’ve questioned how long we wanted to stay here, but every time it comes to fall, spring, summer, it’s just so pretty. We can’t think of anywhere else to go that we would like more at the moment.
I got you. Well, I think most stories are best from the beginning. What are your most vivid memories of growing up?
For me, being from Mississippi, I think of just the farmland and woods. I remember trekking through the woods with other kids, jumping over fences, and messing with people’s cattle, horses, and cows. Those are my younger years’ memories.
Once I started doing movie stuff, I had more intense experiences both filming and traveling around the world. Some of my favorite childhood memories are going overseas post-Forrest Gump to promote the movie.
Movies really stick out in my mind. I can remember the first time I watched a lot of different films when I was a kid. My childhood was half absorbed by films in general or video games. I was really focused on entertainment media.
What were the movies that made a big influence on you?
Indiana Jones, Top Gun, and anything in the Indiana Jones series and Star Wars. Both the original Star Wars were big for me, as they are for most kids. Anything that was a big military movie, like Top Gun, really got me into fighter planes and everything after watching that as a kid. I was really into all military-related stuff.
Anything historical period, old period pieces, stuff about knights, Braveheart, things like that. Anything dramatic, historical, military-related, or directed by people like Spielberg or Robert Zemeckis really stuck with me. Back to the Future is another one. Sci-fi and that kind of thing really impressed me as a kid. I was glued to it.
What did the people around you think when you started getting the idea, or whoever got the idea, that Michael is possibly going to be in movies?
I was from a really small town, so outside of my immediate family, there wasn’t a large circle of people around me. There were kids at school, but I was on summer vacation when I got the part, so they didn’t know about it. Mainly, it was just family members and a few friends that lived next door who had any idea that this was going on.
It also happened very quickly. From the time I tried out for the part to getting the part was probably less than a month. Virtually no one knew it was going on. My dad had to quit his job to stay home and take care of my sisters while my mom took me to shoot this film.
Once they picked me for the part, it all came out at once, and that was just what our lives were, almost overnight. It happened really quickly – it struck like lightning, as my mom always said.
How old were you at that time?
Eight years old.
Can you remember what you were thinking and feeling about it?
One of the weird things is that there have been a few different times in my life, especially when I was a kid, when I had a feeling I was going to win something, and then I did. It was the same with Forrest Gump.
I remember going to the audition thinking, “I’ve got a feeling this is going to go through,” and then it did. I wasn’t that surprised as a child that it happened. But once it started rolling and I started meeting people like Bob Zemeckis, the director, I was extremely impressed. I got to talk his ear off about Back to the Future, which he made.
I really enjoyed meeting the people who made these films. When I saw Tom Hanks, I recognized him from Dragnet and other stuff. Traveling so much also seemed like a lifestyle change for me as an eight-year-old. It was all just entertaining.
Being so young, I couldn’t wrap my head around what was really going on. It was like being on an amusement park ride. It took me years to contextualize it and really understand what had happened.
What are your memories of Winston Groom, the author of Forrest Gump?
He just passed away this year. I had talked to him a few times and met him in person. He always made a lasting impression. Everyone I met associated with Forrest Gump was really nice, but certain people always stuck with me, and he was one of them.
I don’t remember meeting him while making the movie, but shortly after, within two or three years of Forrest Gump coming out, I met him a couple of times at various promotional deals. He was always very nice to me then.
I went to his house about 10-11 years ago and did an interview for a Blu-ray thing. I saw him again two or three years ago in Mississippi when he was doing a book tour. He was always really nice. He and I had a lot in common.
He was a big history guy, so we would talk about Forrest Gump but also about history. He always offered to help me, even though I never took him up on it. He was a very cool guy.
You can see how Forrest Gump got created as you talk to him. There’s a little bit of him in there, but also a collection of people he met in his life that made up Forrest Gump. Once you go to Point Clear, that whole region, you see the inspiration for the shrimp boat and the Alabama coast.
What was the biggest thing that made you want to serve in the U.S. Army?
I was already interested in military technology as a kid – like aircraft, ships, and tanks. Doing Forrest Gump, I had direct contact with Marines and visited a Marine base where they let me tour an F-18 fighter jet. That piqued my interest.
My family also had a military background. When the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq started, I felt there was a reason to join and have a substantial experience. My dad always told me not to join the army in peacetime because there wouldn’t be much to do. So, when the wars were going on, I felt it was the right time.
I joined in 2005 when Iraq was at its peak. By then, I was also disillusioned with being a former child star. I had spent my teenage years dealing with the attention and fallout from Forrest Gump but wasn’t actively involved in the industry. At 19-20 years old, I felt I had nothing else to do that would compare to that experience.
So, I thought being in a real war would be on that level. I was trying to prove something to myself and others, even though no one was waiting for me to prove anything.
Do your students ever find out that you played Forrest Gump? If so, what is their reaction?
They definitely know about it. The company I work for promotes themselves with me working there, but it’s a Chinese company, so they don’t pay me for the promotional value. They tell their clients anything that would draw parents to sign up.
I get a lot of students who show up knowing who I am. It’s a popular movie in China, more so with the parents than the kids. The parents always recognize me and nudge their kids to ask questions about Forrest Gump.
What is it like for you when someone recognizes you for that role? Is it ever annoying?
It used to be more annoying, especially in Mississippi where everyone knew who I was. I was frequently bombarded with the same questions over and over. Now, living in Portland, nobody knows who I am except a few people. My neighbors and most people I work with have no idea.
When they do find out, there’s usually a few days of talking about it, then it smooths out. It was more of a problem when it complicated my job, like when I was working as security on the Vancouver, Washington transportation system. They found out, and it was all they wanted to talk about for a few days, but it didn’t mix well with my job.
Is there a question you kept getting asked over and over?
Yes, people always asked if I could say a line from the movie, which I never wanted to do. They also asked about the braces falling off my legs and how it felt when the braces fell off. Another common question was how much I got paid, which I never wanted to answer. Those three questions were the most frequently asked.
What is the best thing about being Michael Conner Humphreys?
I’ve always been able to keep my cool. Even in stressful situations, I feel like things are going to work out.
When I was in the army, I never worried about getting killed, even though it was a possibility at any moment. It’s a useful trait, especially in acting.
However, it also means I don’t get as thrilled about good things as I sometimes should. That feeling was exacerbated after Iraq, where I noticed I didn’t get too happy or too sad, just kind of numb. It can be useful when needed, especially in acting.
Tell us about your acting group in Portland.
I’ve never had any professional training for acting. I did Forrest Gump with no background and didn’t pursue acting afterward. In the last couple of years, I’ve tried to professionally train. I’m trying to get back into acting now, though this year was put on hold. Maybe next year in the spring, I can start pursuing roles.
The acting class has been intense, helping me get over anxiety and be more present. It took a couple of years to get to where I can do scenes and skits without being stuck in my head. I’m starting to get to where I can be in the moment and not just read the words. The class has helped me a lot with that.
What’s the appeal of acting for you?
I have no idea what else to do. I have many interests, but acting really demands understanding others, which appeals to me. Even with moderate success, it can pay the bills. Since I had an experience with it as a kid, there’s a little bit of an avenue for me now.
I don’t have anything else I really want to pursue professionally, but I also have a degree in international relations. I could be doing that, but it’s not what I’m pursuing at the moment.
I can do multiple things at once, like writing papers on foreign affairs and acting. I’m trying to be a jack of all trades.
What do you like to do in your downtime?
If I have a day off in Portland, I’ll probably go for a drive into the mountains or a hike if the weather permits. Otherwise, I might go into town and walk around, visit coffee shops and bookshops, and observe people.
For my own downtime, I watch videos or read articles about military history or current geopolitics. I’m obsessed with military history and how countries interact. My pastime is trying to predict what’s going to happen with the US, Russia, and China in the next 20 years. It’s something I should probably pursue professionally if I were serious about it.
Tell us about a book that made a big impression on you.
Foundation by Isaac Asimov. The Foundation series is coming out as a TV show soon. The book series from the ’40s is where all modern sci-fi pulls from. The basic premise is about human civilization 20,000 years from now, peaking and falling into dark ages repeatedly. It’s about trying to break that cycle. Asimov examines human nature on a grand cosmic scale.
What about a movie you can watch again and again?
Heat, with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. It’s the best cops and robbers, crime drama film I’ve ever seen. I also love Saving Private Ryan for war films and Vanilla Sky with Tom Cruise for the psychological aspect. Those are three movies I go back to frequently.
Are you a music fan?
Oh, yeah. I haven’t kept up with much contemporary music in the past five years, but my favorite bands are Led Zeppelin, Joy Division, and Nine Inch Nails. I like hard rock and dark music, which makes me feel better.
What would you say to anyone tuning in to hear this?
I’d say, especially in America, to be aware of others and try to understand people you disagree with. Drown yourself in people you don’t understand to respect their points of view.
Understanding doesn’t mean agreeing, but we need to do better at trying to understand each other. This applies to the rest of the world too, but it’s a big problem in America right now.
Michael, thank you very much for making time. I really appreciate it.
Oh, yeah, absolutely. No problem. I had fun. I had a good time.
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