Robin Wright, who played Jenny Curran in Forrest Gump, is finally addressing the controversy over her character. Wright, along with her co-star Tom Hanks, spoke with The New York Times while promoting their upcoming film Here.
In the interview published on Friday, November 1, the actress admitted that she played “kind of an anti-feminist role” in Forrest Gump.
“No! It’s not about that. People have said she’s a Voldemort to Forrest. I wouldn’t choose that as a reference, but she was kind of selfish,” she added. Her character, Jenny, was Forrest Gump’s (Hanks) childhood best friend, who the title character remains in love with throughout the decade-spanning film.
They crossed paths multiple times in their adulthood and even had a child, yet she remained promiscuous and was eventually diagnosed with terminal illness. “I don’t think it’s a punishment that she gets AIDS. She was so promiscuous — that was the selfishness that she did to Forrest,” the actress explained.
He was in love with her from day one but she kept running away, indulging in drugs, or hooking up with a Black Panther instead of reciprocating. ‘And then she gets sick and says, ‘This is your child. But I’m dying,” Wright added. The film concludes with the title character taking of Jenny until her death and Forrest taking their son to school.
Overlooking the anti-feminist aspect, the film narrates one of the ‘sweetest’ on-screen love stories. It left a remarkable legacy, earned multiple accolades, including six Academy Awards, and gave credibility to its lead stars. Wright admitted that she’ll always feel sentimental about the film, not because it’s great but because it was a great experience working with the team.
Forrest Gump has crossed its 30-year mark, but its memorable lines like “Run, Forrest, run!” and “Life is like a box of chocolates” have become some of the most used pop culture references. The film’s leads and director, Robert Zemeckis, reunited for another film, Here, which aims to tell a story that spans most of history.
Here, a slice-of-a-life drama, is currently running in theaters.