Bruce Dern Says He Gave Tom Hanks Advice on Long-Distance Running While Hanks Trained for “Forrest Gump”

Dern, an avid runner, reflects on time spent with Oscar winner Hanks in the new documentary 'Dernsie'

NEED TO KNOW

• Bruce Dern is sharing the advice he gave Tom Hanks while Hanks trained for his famous role in Forrest Gump
• In the new documentary Dernsie, Dern recalls taking runs with Hanks while the two were filming 1989’s The ‘Burbs
• Dern was joined by his daughter Laura Dern and grandchildren Ellery and Jaya Harper at the May 20 Cannes Film Festival premiere of Dernsie

Avid runner Bruce Dern shared some wisdom with Tom Hanks ahead of one of his most iconic roles. 

In a new documentary about his life, Dern, 89, remembers filming the 1989 movie The ‘Burbs with Hanks while he was prepping for 1994’s Forrest Gump. 

“Tom Hanks lived four doors away, same street. Several days he and I went on the Coast Highway to take a run,” Dern says in Dernsie: The Amazing Life of Bruce Dern, which premiered on May 20 at the Cannes Film Festival. 

As the actor’s daughter Laura Dern, 59, remarks in the film, Bruce ran 10 to 12 miles a day for much of his life and knows a thing or two about the sport.

“I got in a little argument with [Tom] one time because we’d gone just over a half mile and he was out of breath and had to stop,” Bruce recalls. “I said, ‘Hold on a second. Have you ever run this far?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, I run. I’m training for this movie.’ ”

He continues: “I said, ‘Tom, you can’t run like you’re running for a long time. Does your character stop?’ He said, 'Well, I think Forrest Gump breaks world records and stuff.’ I said, ‘Just slow down. It’s about hanging in there and forwardly moving constantly without stopping.’… So he calmed down a little bit on it.”

Running is, of course, a significant plot point in the Oscar-winning film, as Hanks’ titular character runs across the country. Hanks won his second consecutive best actor Oscar for Forrest Gump. (He won his first for 1993's Philadelphia.)

For Dern, running has been an integral part of his life for decades. He's run hundreds of marathons and has kept a record of all his run times since he was a child. 

“Honestly, I think my dad is a runner first and then an actor,” Laura says. “He’s used to not acting for six months between jobs, but, well, until a few years ago, he ran an average of 10 to 12 miles a day since he was 12 years old.”

Dernsie, named for a phrase describing his improvisational style of acting, focuses on Dern’s more than 65 years in Hollywood. It is directed by Mike Mendez and features appearances by Laura, directors Quentin Tarantino and Alexander Payne and Dern himself, who walks through his storied career in his own words. 

Laura joined her father at the May 20 premiere during the Cannes Film Festival with her two children Ellery, 24, and Jaya Harpe, 21, whose dad is Laura's ex-husband, musician Ben Harper. It was their first joint public appearance since the death of Dern's ex-wife and Laura's mother, Diane Ladd, in November at age 89.

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