Tom Hanks Proposes New Oscar Category for Voice Actors

Veteran actor Tom Hanks is advocating for the creation of a new category at the Academy Awards specifically for voice actors. Hanks believes that voice performances deserve the same recognition as on-screen acting and should be eligible for top honors like Best Actor and Best Actress.

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I think they have enough categories. The reality is, a voice actor can win Best Actor. The judgment is every performance that can touch the heart.

Hanks shared his views with Gold Derby while promoting "Toy Story 5," in which he reprises his role as Woody. He argued that the essence of acting lies in its emotional impact on the audience, regardless of whether the performance is purely vocal or involves motion capture, like Andy Serkis's portrayal of Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings."

"If the audience is touched, then they are touched by the performance of a human being who brings a character to life. Whether through voice or like Andy Serkis. That's all the requirement is," Hanks stated. He has won two Best Actor Oscars himself and received an Annie Award nomination for voicing Woody in the first "Toy Story."

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If the audience is touched, then they are touched by the performance of a human being who brings a character to life. Whether through voice or like Andy Serkis. That's all the requirement is.

The Academy Awards have historically not nominated voice-only performances in major acting categories. Scarlett Johansson's role in Spike Jonze's "Her," which was primarily voice-based, did not receive an acting nomination, though the film won for Best Original Screenplay. Similarly, motion-capture performances, like those by Zoe Saldana in "Avatar," have also faced criticism for being overlooked by the Academy. Saldana has expressed disappointment at being entirely disregarded, and director James Cameron has asserted that her acting in "Avatar" is on par with Oscar-winning actors.

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It's not about winning or being nominated, it's about being ignored and dismissed.