Tom Hanks' brother Jim says he's 'immensely grateful' to voice “Toy Story”'s Woody when his big brother isn't available

Tom Hanks' younger brother Jim Hanks opened up about voicing Toy Story's Sheriff Woody across various Disney projects.

Key Points

• Jim shared he's "immensely grateful" for the opportunity to voice the iconic cowboy character.

• Tom has voiced Woody across the franchise's feature films, including Toy Story 5, which hits theaters June 19.

Catchphrases like "There's a snake in my boot" and "You're my favorite deputy" come from the one and only Sheriff Woody, the pull-string protagonist of theToy Storyfranchise.

WhileTom Hankshas been the voice of Woody across five films, his nearly identical brother Jim Hanks has also lent his voice talents for the memorable Disney character across a variety ofToy Storymedia — and interestingly has more credits than his brother in voicing the cowboy.

In an interview with theLove it Filmpodcast, Jim explained how he has helped his older brother out over the years by voicing Woody for various supportive projects such as shorts, video games, and even merchandise.

"The first thing I ever did was one of the pull-string toys from the first movie where he's saying 'You're my favorite deputy' and 'There's a snake in my boot' and stuff like that," Jim said on the podcast. "They had processed the voice so much that they needed a cleaner [version] so I come in and do it."

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Jim says he has been "immensely grateful" for the opportunity to voice Woody,and makes sure he is "staying as true to the character as possible" when stepping in for his brother.

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However, Jim noted there have been opportunities for him to give a little bit of his spin on Woody, such as when he voiced Woody for Disney California Adventure Park's Midway Mania ride. While recording lines with Pixar staff, Jim said he gave the suggestion that when Woody is speaking to little kids on the ride, he talks to them as if he's their "favorite teacher."

"That was really cool," Jim said of Pixar taking his advice, adding that they were "really collaborative" to work with for the ride.

As for how he taps into his brother to voice Woody, Jim joked, "I used to say that my Woody is my impression of Tom yelling at his kids. 'Get down from there!' is the same as 'Buzz!'"

OtherToy Storyprojects where Jim can be heard as Woody include Pixar's 2020 shortLamp Lifeplus Disney's video games likeDreamlight ValleyandKingdom Hearts III.

Watch Jim Hanks' full interview on theLove it Filmpodcast above.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly