Chet Hanks Portrays Forrest Gump in Tom Hanks-Featuring Video for His New Country Track

Chet secured a cameo from his father for the latest music video from his country band Something Out West.

March 28, 2025

For the latest country single from his band Something Out West, Chet Hanks paid tribute to his father Tom Hanks by portraying one of his most iconic roles.

In the video for "You Better Run," the new track from his band with Drew Arthur, Chet takes on the eponymous role from the beloved 1994 movie Forrest Gump, for which his father won his second Academy Award for Best Actor. He recreated several scenes from the movie, including the iconic bench scene with a box of chocolates. Better yet, he got his father to appear for a brief cameo.

Other references to the movie include a boat similar to Gump's shrimping boat, which is nicknamed 'Jenny,' and the cross-country run the character takes in the movie.

The video is the latest from Something Out West, who signed with Big Machine Records in February with the release of their single "Leaving Hollywood." Chet said he was "thrilled" to be part of the Big Machine family, which also includes Rascal Flatts and Tim McGraw. "Drew and I have been making music together for a long time, and we feel really proud to have a home at Big Machine for this upcoming project," he added, noting that they're working on their debut album.

Chet Hanks has dabbled in music in the past under the name Chet Haze, a hip-hop-oriented project. More recently, he appeared in the Netflix series Running Point, in which he portrays the basketball player and rapper Travis Bugg.