Adorable Throwback Video Shows Tom Hanks and 5-Year-Old Haley Joel Osment Bonding Over Disney Cartoons

Mar. 15, 2025

Haley Joel Osment and Tom Hanks in ‘Forrest Gump’ in 1994.Photo:Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock

Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock

A video ofTom Hanksand a 5-year-oldHaley Joel Osmentthat has been circulating on social media recently shows the adorable chemistry theForrest Gumpactors had behind-the-scenes.

The clip, posted to TikTok accountEpicScreenShots, captures a sweet moment from a screen test with Oscar winner Hanks and the young actor who would play his son in 1994’sForrest Gump.

The then-38-year-old Hanks sits next to the tiny Osment against a gray backdrop. Off screen, someone calls “action!” and rather than reading lines, the two just start chit-chatting.

Haley Joel Osment and Tom Hanks in ‘Forrest Gump’ in 1994.Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock

“I don’t even know how old you are,” Hanks says. “How old are you?”

Osment replies that he’s 5 and will be 6 on April 10.

“So, you had a birthday just last April? What’d you get? Get any chocolates?” Hanks asks.

Tragically, Osment says he did not receive any chocolates for his 5th birthday.

Hanks then pivots to Osment’s favorite cartoons, and the pint-size star rattles off a list of shows from the ’90s Disney Afternoon syndicated block, includingChip ‘n Dale: Rescue RangersandDarkwing Duck.

“Is Darwing Duck like Batman?” Hanks asks.

“Uh-huh,” Osment says. “Kinda.”

Tom Hanks in 2023; Haley Joel Osment in 2024.Dia Dipasupil/Getty; Kayla Oaddams/WireImage

Dia Dipasupil/Getty; Kayla Oaddams/WireImage

Another clipfrom the same screen test on YouTube sees Osment reading to Hanks from a children’s book. At one point, Hanks whispers, “What am I supposed to say?” and Osment whispers his line to him.

Forrest Gumpmarked Osment’s film debut, and the movie went on to receive 13 Academy Award nominations, winning six, including one for Best Picture and a Best Actor award for Hanks (his second).

Osment went on to star oppositeBruce WillisinThe Sixth Sense, winning a Golden Globe nomination for his performance as a young boy who could “see dead people” in the 1999 blockbuster.

source: people.com