Toy Story 5 played into the idea that everyone’s favorite cowboy doll Woody is getting older — showcased best by his blindingly reflective bald spot — alongside not only the franchise’s fanbase, but also the iconic actor who’s voiced the role for the past 30 years. But I don’t think we can blame aging on the fact that Tom Hanks was apparently clueless that entire time about Woody having a last name.
The character, who wasn’t originally written into the fifth movie, is as beloved as Pixar and Disney characters get, but I can’t deny how easy it is to totally miss out on the lawman’s moniker amounting to more than just the five letters composing his first name. So I won’t be the first one to judge Hanks for being out of the loop, especially since his reaction to the news is so danged funny to watch, as seen below.
When presented with the new-to-him information that Woody isn’t just a single-named entertainer like Cher or Madonna, he was surprised, and offered up maybe the world’s best guess for what Woody’s surname might be.
I had no idea. ‘The Sheriff?’ What?
Is “The Sheriff” a single last name in the vein of De Niro or Del Toro, or is “The” meant to be Woody’s middle name there? Either way, a classic response from the acting legend.
As was this display of incredulity after learning that Woody’s last name is actually “Pride.” To which he responded with:
How did they find this out? I play the guy! And I didn’t realize I had a surname.
While this didn’t get addressed within that interview from BBC Radio, Woody’s full name was initially revealed by Toy Story 3 director Lee Unkrich, who stated at the time that the identifier had been a discussed and established detail since the development phases on 1995’s Toy Story. So it wasn’t just something tacked onto the character years later. (Toy Story 5‘s most emotional sequence plays into name-based reveals, so this interview clip feels pretty on-point for the sequel.)
More fun was had when the topic came up that Jessie’s last name is also Pride, which has sparked plenty of internet fan theories about how closely the two characters are related. That was something that Tim Allen said he’d come across online in the past, noting that he’d seen fans talking about Woody and Jessie being brother and sister.
Turns out Tom Hanks doesn’t want the two toys to be that closely linked. As he put it:
Boing! No! Distant cousins, please. Ple-e-e-ease.
If the sibling bit is true, it wouldn’t change anything TOO much, and isn’t nearly as bothersome as it’d be to learn that Buzz and Jessie share the same bloodline. Or that Forky and Karen Beverly are related. Oh wait, that one might track…can plastic utensils be related?
Another more pertinent question: can Toy Story 5 continue its box office dominance into its second week in theaters, or will the upcoming DC movie Supergirl push it down to #2? [Cue Smarty Pants cracking up.]
