Toy Story 4 STAR TOM HANKS
ON SAYING
GOODBYE TO WOODY
‘TOY STORY 4’ STAR TOM HANKS TALKS ABOUT THE SADNESS OF LEAVING WOODY BEHIND, MARRIED BLISS AND LISTENING TO HIS INNER VOICE
‘i love to have those ritual family get togethers’
Tom Hanks is back in cinemas as everyone’s favourite cowboy for the final instalment of the hit Disney Pixar franchise Toy Story. The 62 year old rejoins Tim Allen, Joan Cusack and co as Woody for the fourth Toy Story film and this time the gang are embarking on a road trip with new toy on the block Forky, voiced by Arrested Development’s Tony Hale. The new movie also sees Keanu Reeves star as Duke Caboom, with the Hollywood big shot being cast via a blind audition.
As a dad to Colin, 41, Elizabeth, 37, Chet, 28, and Truman, 23, and a granddad to three, Tom is certainly in touch with his inner child, admitting he still buys toys for his grown-up kids! ‘If I see a vintage toy – like one of the original Stormtrooper action figures from Star Wars – I’ll pick it up and I’ll give it to my son because he still digs things like that,’ he said.
With his reputation for being one of the friendliest actors in Hollywood, as well as an impressive CV, it’s not hard to see how Tom has retained his place as one of the best loved stars in the business. He even found time to open charity football match Soccer Aid last week, on the same day as Toy Story 4’s London premiere!
Here, Tom opens up about his childhood years, how his wife Rita, 62, ‘saved’ him, and bidding farewell to Woody…
What was your favourite toy as a child? Major Matt Mason, which cost $1.95 at Clark’s Drugstores. He’s an action figure who wore a white spacesuit. I probably got about three years’ use out of him before the metal in his arm broke and suddenly he was no longer as poseable as he had been.
Did you pass him down to your grandkids? I’m not so much into introducing them to toys. Instead I’m introducing them to other types of pleasures, like oddly-shaped pancakes in the morning and root beer served in ice-cold mugs from the freezer. I guess I’m trying to give them Type 2 diabetes at an early age [laughs]! As soon as they’re old enough, we’re going to have taco nights. I love to have those ritual family get togethers.
Friendship is a key theme in Toy Story 4. Did you ever struggle to make friends?
No. I moved around a lot as a kid, but I was never intimidated by going to school. I entered the room like a racing car going 80 miles per hour. I always enjoyed being the new guy and finding the one or two like-minded folks like me. How would you describe your core group of friends?
I probably have six or eight really close people in my life. And when we meet up, we pick up right where we left off like the best of families.
Woody is great at saving people. Have you ever rescued a damsel in distress?
Well, yes [laughs]. Because I have made Rita Wilson the happiest woman on the planet! I’m not sure she would have been satisfied had I not come along and thought, you know what this lady needs? She needs a little dose of Tom Hanks! The same thing happened vice versa. I was drowning at sea but Rita swam out and saved me, so it all seems to balance out.
How much do you enjoy voicing Woody?
As an actor you can do things with your body that belie whatever you say with your mouth – but you can’t do that when you’re making an animated character come alive. You have to say each line over and over again. I would give 44 different interpretations of a line to try to satisfy the control room, but also my own creative urges. It’s very, very intense and very emotional.
Did you feel a sense of sadness during the final recording sessions?
For the last three recording sessions, I asked to turn around and have my back to the staff for the very first time. Usually, you’re standing in the booth and you’re looking into a control room where the producers and writers are sitting. I didn’t want to make eye contact.
In the movie, Woody tells Buzz to listen to his inner voice. Do you listen to yours? Sometimes, you have to shut up and listen – but sometimes you’ve got to be open to something that’s much bigger than yourself. I’m 62, so I’m now quasi-responsible for yet another generation of human beings on the planet and I want to be better in every way for them. In your twenties, you don’t know who you are. In your thirties, you’re trying to hit the beach all the time. In your forties, you’re trying to establish yourself as something. In your fifties, you’ve got your head down. By the time you’re in your sixties, I think you realise there’s a lot of stuff that’s not nearly important as you thought it was.
‘TOY STORY 4’ IS OUT NOW.