When Steve Starkey first read the script for “Forrest Gump,” it felt personal. In a way, he saw himself on the page. He was a student at the University of California at Berkeley and participated in the anti-war protests that Gump fell into in Washington, D.C., and remembered the monumental and historic moments of the mid-to-late 20th century that Gump saw.

Starkey, the film’s producer, believed the film would resonate with people of his generation. But the story of one Alabama man’s remarkable life would do much more than that. The 1994 film, directed by Robert Zemeckis, who would become a longtime Starkey collaborator, became the highest-grossing film in the United States that year and won several Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Tom Hanks, who played Gump.

In 2011, the Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

But when Starkey and the rest of the team began their journey, fighting with the studio along the way, they had no idea how long-lasting the film would be, even 30 years later.

Starkey, who splits his time between Fairfax and Carpinteria, will reflect on “Forrest Gump” at a screening Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael. Admission is $8.50 to $14. More information and tickets are online at rafaelfilm.cafilm.org/forrest-gump.

Book Passage will also have copies of Starkey’s book, “Stupid is as Stupid Does,” in the lobby. The title, a reference to an iconic phrase uttered by Gump in the film, offers Starkey’s perspective on the creation of the film, as well as lines from the script and photos from the adventure.

“When I think back to the making of Forrest Gump, my mind swirls with disbelief at what I and the film company endured to make this film,” Hanks writes in the foreword. “The show was relentless, but we overcame it and maybe got a little bruised in the process, but, in the end, we made the movie we set out to make.”

Before the screening, Starkey took the time to talk about his career and the impact “Forrest Gump” had on him.

Q How did you first end up in Marin?

A My first book, “Breaking and Entering,” traced my career from my studies at UC Berkeley until I got my first producing job with Robert Zemeckis. I moved here from Southern California and ended up getting a job as a production assistant for Lucasfilm in 1978. Soon after, I moved into editing and worked on the floor editing on “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi”. “I kept coming back here throughout my career, because when they started Skywalker Sound (in Nicasio), I always brought my films there to mix them, including “Forrest Gump.”

I was trying to get into film editing. Instead, I took a detour and went into associate production, which in my case consisted of handling post-production and visual effects because I had a pretty solid background in that field. I then took part in a television series called “Amazing Stories”. I worked in the same capacity on “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”. I worked at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) for a year and a half on this film. Then on the next few films, when I was working as a producer, ILM was a seller, if you will.

Q Does Marin have a special place in your heart?

A Absolutely. Marin County will always be the place that educated me and launched me into the world of acting. Working there, in the world of Lucasfilm at that time, you received film training while practicing your profession. A lot of them had gone to film school. I didn’t do it. I went to Berkeley, where no film studies were offered. I was very lucky and have always cherished this experience. I have carried it with me throughout my career and when working with young people I have always tried to treat them the same way I was treated as a young aspiring filmmaker.

Q How did you become involved in “Forrest Gump?” »

A I ended up working with Bob Zemeckis. After working with him on “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” and the “Back to the Future” sequels, he took time off. And when he came back, he called me and asked me to produce his next movie, which was “Death Becomes Her,” and then later “Forrest Gump.” In “Forrest Gump,” I was pretty green.

I had certainly worked on major films, but not in the role of film supervisor. “Death Becomes Her” was a rather confined film in a sense. Everything happened in Los Angeles, on location or on stage. So when we did “Forrest Gump,” all of a sudden I was in this gigantic world of locations and films within films.

Q How do you think being a part of this film has shaped you?

A I have been emotionally moved by each of the films I have worked on. “Forrest Gump” was just a very emotional film, putting aside any expectations or anything you brought to the film.

It just opened people up and opened me up to what Forrest was feeling. The film contained a huge emotional journey from this innocent character that brought out feelings for us that I find very universal. This resonated with everyone. People started coming to see the film not only to relive the years I grew up in, but also to experience the feelings and emotions of Forrest himself. In this way, it had a profound effect on me, much greater than I expected. As far as working on the film, the learning curve of working on “Forrest,” especially for someone like me, was huge because there were so many unknowns. Like, where is Forrest’s house? And how do you contain it so that the budget doesn’t completely blow up in your face?

Q You write in the book what you feel is “the story of your life.” Did you feel this way during production?

A During the filming of the film, it became personal, especially when we went to Washington, D.C., and Forrest was involved in the anti-war rally without his knowledge, like the rallies I attended, and that reminded me of the feelings of what your belief system is and doing what you thought was right. And also the feeling of what it was like to be among all these like-minded people fighting for a cause. I felt personally invested and wanted it to be as real as possible.

The designer and decorator were all Berkeley alumni and all had the same feelings as me. So not only could we remember these things, but we could also be doubly sure that everything would be historically accurate.

One day I started the day by doing the scene where the splints come off young Forrest’s legs, and he is able to run freely for the first time. I started my day doing these little mechanical effects, trying to make these devices stand out when the camera is there. And then I get on this other set. Everyone is silent. And there’s little tears falling from these big men pushing wagons and everything. And I’m like, wow, what’s going on here? I’m there and they’re doing another take and all of a sudden tears are coming out of my eyes listening to Forrest. That’s how the movie is.

Q Did you imagine 30 years ago that the film would have this timelessness and durability that it has?

A No one could have imagined his resistance. None of us knew that the film was going to be as well received as it was when it was released. But not all of the film’s themes are themes that live and die today. They resonate with time. I think that’s why the film endures. The story of a man discovering his worth and what his place is in this world, how important he is to others and how much he is loved, this story never dies. This guy who loved his mom and this girl, Jenny, more than anything in the world and who had no bones in his body, who changed the course of history as we know it and a person who had to mourn the loss of important people in one’s life, these things last forever.

It’s a beautiful film to watch, and it’s emotional even for me – and I know what’s coming next.

Originally published: November 14, 2024 at 5:40 a.m. PST