A superfan who finally met her hero has revealed what he said after they shared a heartwarming moment on stage.
Neurodiverse actress Faye Tamsin at An Evening With Tom Hanks at ’s Westminster Central Hall last week and was able to tell him exactly how much the iconic 1994 film means to her.
Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk, she said: ‘As I was walking off stage, Tom leant forward and truthfully said that I had made his day as well. This meant the world to me, to know that the feeling was mutual and reciprocated.
‘To see that I have had a positive impact on him as well as him forever having an impact on me is just magical.’
As an added bonus, Mancunian Faye – whose partner Hannah bought her to the event and made the sign which caught his eye – will even be staying in touch with the 66-year-old star after Tom’s team said he ‘would love’ to write to her.
‘I could not believe it! Does life get much better? Not many people can say they will have received a personalised letter from Mr Tom Hanks,’ she beamed.
During the emotional exchange last week, Faye told Tom that she had been trying to meet him for a decade, having attended premieres and Bafta events to make it happen.
There have been plenty of near misses, which made Thursday’s meeting ‘even more special and surreal’ as she got to tell him how the movie changed her life.
It’s been a lifelong journey, with Tom’s film Big dropping the year she was born, while she remembers when she was eight years old, one year after she received her diagnosis.
‘I knew I had just seen something very special and I knew that nothing was going to hold me back,’ she recalled of its instant impact. ‘I was going to overcome my own obstacles because there are no limits to what I can do or achieve.’
Faye explained passionately how Forrest as a character ‘epitomises the very essence of overcoming any hurdles or barriers possibly stopping you from achieving your goals, dreams or potential’.
‘Forrest Gump inevitably helped me to see the world in a different way, through a different lens,’ she added.
The film helped her realise that as a neurodiverse person, she has something ‘others do not’.
‘I see things that others simply do not see and I have gifts that others do not in terms of how I view the world,’ she said with pride.
She pointed to how Forrest Gump has ‘paved the way’ in terms of visibility and diversity on screen, but there is still ‘a way to go’.
‘Casting has improved significantly,’ Faye said of her own experiences, noting that she trained at drama in the UK in 2008, and recently trained at the Conservatory for Dramatic Arts.
Looking to the future, Faye – who is looking for new representation to grow her own acting career – has one major goal in mind as a performer.
‘In terms of next steps and future goals, I’d love to feature in a movie whereby I play a neurodiverse character,’ she said. ‘Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a neurodiverse actor play a neurodiverse role in today’s society?’
She pondered the ‘magical and unique’ feeling of being able to ‘identify with a character because you can relate to them’, and it all comes back to one movie.
‘Forrest Gump has certainly paved the way for my journey,’ she said. ‘And I hope it continues to inspire many more generations to come.’
