Many people know Forrest Gump the movie starring Tom Hanks and not the novel written by Winston Groom, a Vietnam vet and a successful author. The movie was a success and beloved by millions and everyone reaped the fruits of success of the movie. Well, everyone but the author himself.

Forrest Gump went on to make over $670 million and Groom’s contract with Paramount paid him $350,000 for the rights to the novel and Groom would also make 3 percent of the net profit of the movie. But Paramount had different plans and decided to use Hollywood math to not pay Groom a dime of the profit that they made.

Winston Groom wrote Forrest Gump in 1986, eight years before the movie hit the big screen in 1994 and became the fourth-highest grossing film in history at the time. But Paramount alleged that the movie was a “successful failure” and gave birth to the term “Hollywood accounting” by inflating the film’s expenditures so much that the movie didn’t make a profit on paper. This way, Paramount wouldn’t have to pay Groom because they technically didn’t make a profit, according to their accounting methods.

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But Groom was not having it and took Paramount to court. The “Hollywood accounting” math didn’t hold up in court and Groom received a seven-figure settlement. The new deal placated Groom and made him one happy person.

“I’m happy as a pig in sunshine,” said Groom about the settlement. Groom passed away in 2020, leaving behind an amazing legacy.

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