Bench Press

If there was ever an underrated role in Hollywood, it is that of the bench. Often a a scene for reflection or just a good ol’ chin wag, the humble bench has seen a few famous derrières over the years. We’ve rounded up Hollywood’s most famous to see what they’ve been up to since they found fame. Go on, take a seat.

GOOD WILL HUNTING
BOSTON, USA

The park bench in Boston Public Garden was shown on our screens in the Oscar-winning film Good Will Hunting.
The film, written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, is set in Boston and features a young man (Damon) who is a janitor at M.I.T., has a gift for mathematics, but needs help from a psychologist (Robin Williams) to find direction in his life.
Although the film is set in Boston, a lot of filming took place in Canada, with the University of Toronto standing in for the interiors of MIT and Harvard University.
When Robin Williams and Matt Damon were shooting at the scene on the bench in the Public Garden, in the movie it seems as though they’re the only people in the park, however, due to Williams being such a big movie star, there were at one point 3,000 people in the park with them watching that scene.
After the death of Robin Williams in 2014, the bench became an impromptu memorial site for the actor with people leaving flowers, quotes and various items at the bench. A petition was created and passed around to erect a statue in Williams’ memory near the bench.

FORREST GUMP
GEORGIA, USA

Now this one is a bit of a cheat, as the bench technically doesn’t exist. But before you get angry, hear us out! 

Chippewa Square, Savannah, the setting for the famous bench scene, does not actually have any benches on the outside of the square that faces the street, only inside the square. The bench was placed there for that scene only by the production team. 

Forrest Gump (1994) tells the story of Forrest (Tom Hanks), a simple man who was present at many historic moments, all while his true love Jenny eludes him. 

The park bench that Tom Hanks sat on for much of the movie was located in historic Savannah, Georgia. The fibreglass bench he sat on, since then, has been removed and placed into a museum to avoid being destroyed by bad weather, or possibly stolen. To this day, the bench is held in Savannah History Museum. 

Five benches were made for the film. After filming ended, one went to the City of Savannah, one went to the Smithsonian, two went to Paramount Pictures and one went to a security guard who was on patrol while filming. Many offers have been made to buy the bench, the largest being $500,000, although he has turned them all down.

500 DAYS OF SUMMER
LOS ANGELES, USA

This endearingly quirky movie is filmed largely around the un-touristy downtown district of LA, unlike the Hollywood we’re used to seeing. The bench included in the film is Tom’s (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) favourite place, and many tourists have recreated the scenes since the film’s release. However, you can’t visit the bench anymore, the sloped grassy expanse, called Angel’s Knoll, was fenced off and closed July 30, 2013 due to state cutbacks.