Mykelti Williamson recalls working with Tom Hanks in 'Forrest Gump'

Williamson revealed that first heard about his eventual role as Forrest's friend Benjamin Buford "Bubba" Blue when two of his acting students went in to audition for it, reported People.

"I coached each of them," he said, and neither got a callback. But Williamson thought he could play the part, so he asked his agent to set him up with an audition for the movie.

Williamson told his agent, "If I can't get in on this and two scrubs can," that he had no "choice" but to get a new agent. He got called to go in on a Saturday, but was warned that he probably wouldn't be "taken seriously" and the agency was just trying to keep him as a client. "When you go in there, kill them," his agent said, reported People.

Williamson finally shot a video audition with a casting assistant. "The next thing I hear is Mr. Robert Zemeckis would like to match you up with Tom Hanks," recalled Williamson.

"So we go in. They match me up with Hanks," said Williamson, adding, "And Tommy's sitting across the table from me, and he's kicking me under the table like how much he liked it. He was just 'Dude, you're killing it.' "

"Finally, after we were done, he looked at me. He says, 'Oh my gosh,' " shared Williamson. "That was it. I got the job, and thank God I was persistent."

Mykelti Williamson is known for his roles in the films 12 Angry Men (1997), Con Air, and Ali, as well as the TV shows Boomtown, 24, and Justified.

Williamson's other notable roles include Free Willy, Heat, Lucky Number Slevin, Three Kings, Black Dynamite, The Final Destination, ATL, Species II, and The Purge: Election Year.

Since Forrest Gump went on to make over USD 670 million at the box office and won six Oscars, including Best Picture, Williamson also starred in 2016's Fences with Viola Davis and Denzel Washington, reprising his role from the 2010 Broadway revival. He stars in the new film The Last Rodeo, released this May, reported People. (ANI)