Why does Zemeckis use CGI to insert Forrest into historical archival footage instead of just using actors to play those historical figures?

Robert Zemeckis has always used cutting-edge technology to explore the boundary between illusion and reality, and in this film, the CGI integration serves as a profound narrative engine. By seamlessly inserting Forrest into archival footage with figures like John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and John Lennon, Zemeckis subverts the traditional authority of historical documentation. It suggests that history is not an objective, untouchable monument, but a malleable narrative shaped by those who happen to be in the frame. This visual trickery democratizes history, placing a simple man from Greenbow, Alabama, on equal footing with the architects of geopolitical policy. Crucially, these digital insertions highlight Forrest's complete lack of ego. While the real-world historical figures are frozen in their grand, tragic historical roles, Forrest remains delightfully mundane, complaining about needing to pee to JFK or showing LBJ his physical wound. This contrast underscores a recurring theme in Zemeckis's filmography: the extraordinary is best understood through the ordinary. The visual effects do not distance the audience; instead, they ground the epic scale of the American century within the intimate, unpretentious perspective of a protagonist who has no interest in making history, only in living his life.■