Tom Hanks is probably the most beloved actor in the film industry, due to his universally adored roles that he portrays in each of his films. In his incredible career, Hanks has worked in a ton of films and TV shows that have made him a household name. From Forrest Gump to Sully: Miracle on the Hudson, he has entertained his audience by showcasing his impressive acting range.
However, his most beloved role was Sheriff Woody Pride in Pixar’s Toy Story franchise. The actor has voiced the iconic character in the 4 films, but the Big actor is not the only one who has voiced the character. The Cast Away actor shares how his brother substitutes him to voice the character when gets a little too busy.
Tom Hanks Substitutes With His Brother To Voice Woody From Toy Story
Even though Tom Hanks has not appeared once in Pixar’s Toy Story films, he has been immensely loved by the viewers of the films for voicing Woody in the films. The actor gave the sheriff a warm and expressive voice that resonated quite well with viewers of all ages, solidifying the character’s status as Pixar’s icon.
While Hanks is known for voicing the character, Jim Hanks, his brother is a reliable substitute for his famous brother. During an exclusive interview with Jace Diehl, Jim Hanks shares that his agent told him how Disney wanted him to voice his brother’s character, and he was surprised how he “never really knew” that his voice was similar to his brother’s. He said,
I don’t remember actually auditioning. I just remember going into this tiny little booth and having a little bit of a scratch at it. I never really knew that my voice was as similar to Tom’s.
He continued that he had seen some footage of himself and was surprised by the fact, that he sounded similar to his brother.
Jim Hanks said,
I have since seen videos of myself where I watch myself and go ‘Oh my god, I do sound like him. Tom does this thing where he simultaneously pushes [his voice] with his diaphragm and pushes it up to his nose. At the same time, it’s down deep but it’s also up here.
Hanks added that he follows a technique that has helped him to follow a voice module similar to Tom Hanks.
Whenever I’m at a mic, I go ‘hey, hey, hey, hey’ and I can find him. The ‘hey’ has an explosiveness that takes me to Tom.
Jim Hanks’ voice was so similar to his brother’s that he had recorded some of the most iconic lines of the character including “There’s a snake in my boot.”
But that’s not all because his voice can be heard in Woody dolls around the world, and he has also provided voice recordings for the Sheriff in theme park attractions, live shows, and the 2020 Pixar short, Lamp Life.
Tom Hanks on Sharing The Role of Woody With His Brother
Even though both brothers had similar voices that could not be recognized easily, fans were curious how the actor felt about sharing the role with his brother. In 2011, their question was answered, when he was present on The Graham Norton Show, the host pulled the string from a Woody doll and asked him if the voice played was his.
With a big smile on his face, he said, “No, it’s my brother, Jim.” The answer responded in laughter from the audience present at the show, Hanks explained that his brother works on computer games and other projects for the remainder of the year. He said,
They have so many computer games and video things and Jim works on those all year long.
Hence, whenever the Catch Me If You Can actor is unable to voice the character, he simply says, “I’ll get my brother Jim, he’ll do it.” Nevertheless, it was a good idea because a plethora of fans did not know about this interesting trivia about one of their favorite characters.
Toy Story 4 can be streamed on Disney+.
