Tom Hanks weighs in on debate over voice acting category at Oscars

Tom Hanks has weighed in on the ongoing debate over whether voice actors should have their own category at the Academy Awards.

Speaking to Gold Derby, Hanks dismissed the idea that the Academy needs an additional category dedicated to voice acting, arguing that strong vocal performances should compete alongside traditional acting roles rather than be separated into a new award.

“I think they have enough categories,” Hanks said. “The truth is, a voice actor can win best actor. The judgment is, ‘any performance that moved you.’”

The two-time Academy Award winner emphasized that acting should be judged on the emotional impact of a performance, regardless of whether an actor physically appears on screen.

To support his argument, Hanks pointed to the work of actor Andy Serkis, whose motion-capture performances have helped create some of cinema’s most iconic characters, including Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Caesar in the Planet of the Apes franchise and Kong in King Kong.

“Even though he does not appear as Andy Serkis, he gives all the raw material for it,” Hanks said. “There’s been people who have been close to being nominated that do not appear on camera. That could happen to a pure-vocal actor.”

Hanks argued that Academy voters should focus on the performer behind the character rather than the method used to bring that performance to life.

“If they are moved, that means they are moved by a human being’s performance,” he said. “That’s all the requirement.”

No performer has ever been nominated solely for a voice-only role in any of the four acting categories at the Oscars, although Scarlett Johansson came close for her voice-only performance as AI operating system Samantha in Spike Jonze’s Her, winning best actress at the Rome Film Festival.

Toy Story 5 is set for release in cinemas on 19 June 2026.