‘Forrest Gump’ star unrecognizable 29 years later: ‘Hollywood wasn’t healthy’

Just like Forrest Gump famously said, “Life is like a box of chocolates — you never know what you’re gonna get.”

That’s certainly true for one former child star who appeared in the classic family film — and he’s currently being hailed as “unrecognizable” upon resurfacing years after leaving the industry.

All grown-up now, Michael Conner Humphreys, 38, played the younger version of Tom Hanks’ title character in the 1994 film “Forrest Gump.”

Humphreys was just 8 years old when he played the titular character, cast from an open call to play Forrest as a child.

However, 29 years on from participating in cinematic history, he decided the spotlight wasn’t for him — choosing to finish school then enlist in the US Army instead, spending four years as an infantry soldier, which included an 18-month tour of duty in Iraq. 

He completed his tour of service for his country in 2008.

Meanwhile, Humphreys said his parents never pushed him to pursue a career in acting, as he doesn’t think “Hollywood is a healthy lifestyle for kids,” and his family wasn’t interested in uprooting from their native Oregon to life-in-the-fast-lane Los Angeles.

“Back then, my parents just let me decide for myself what I wanted to do next and they never pushed me to pursue other acting roles,” he told The Sun, adding he “mainly wanted to have fun and play with my friends.”

“Especially as I liked school,” he added. “Offers came in but I really wasn’t that concerned with trying to pick up more roles after that.”

Humphrey said he enjoyed living a relatively “normal” life as a child — despite playing the title role in a film that won six Oscars and grossed $329,694,499 at the worldwide box office.

“I honestly think that was a good thing,” he said, “as I never thought of Hollywood as anything glamorous or fame as something I wanted to chase. It was the opposite.”

Although Humphreys made an effort to step out of Hollywood, he admits parts of his life have mirrored “Forrest Gump” in unexpected ways.

The former actor is a keen runner — much like the titular character he played — has competed in marathons, and even served in the same army camp in Germany as Elvis Presley.

‘It’s funny how many connections to Forrest’s life have popped up in mine,” Humphreys admitted. “Is it destiny? Something kept making those coincidences happen.”

However, the actor — who graduated college with a degree in international relations — said he’s open to acting again, if the right role comes up.

“Some people think I look like [former Taylor Swift paramour] Tom Hiddleston, and he is tipped to be the new Bond,” he told The Sun in 2019. “That could be interesting. I am wide open for most things.”