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Tony Hale feared he'd be replaced as the voice of Forky in 'Toy Story 4'

By Chris Morgan | Last updated Aug 25, 2025 6:04 PM ET

Tony Hale has said that while he was thrilled to be cast as Forky in 'Toy Story 4', he wasn’t convinced his work would actually make the final cut. Pixar is known for constantly tinkering with its movies, often rewriting, re-recording, and reshaping characters deep into production. Hale admitted he worried that Forky could be dropped or reimagined entirely, even after he had put in all the recording sessions.

Of course, that didn’t happen, and instead Forky became a fan-favorite, resonating with audiences thanks to his quirky personality and existential crisis about being “trash.” Now, with 'Toy Story 5' moving forward, Hale is firmly locked in as part of the franchise’s future, bringing back the character that helped give the series new life.

By 2019, Tony Hale was far from an unknown, he’d earned acclaim as Buster Bluth on Arrested Development and won an Emmy for Veep. Still, Toy Story is a franchise dominated by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen (and remember how massive Allen was when the series launched). That may explain why Hale kept expecting he’d be quietly replaced by someone with a bigger name.

“The whole time I was like, ‘They’re going to cut me. They’re going to replace me with some huge star,’” Hale said. In fact, he added, “It wasn’t until I heard my voice on the 'Toy Story 4' trailer that I actually thought I was still in it. It wasn’t until then.”

Hale’s worries in hindsight seem a bit overblown. Previous installments brought in Joan Cusack and Wayne Knight for 'Toy Story 2,' and Ned Beatty voiced the villain in 'Toy Story 3'. Big-name casting has never really been the point of these films.

Given that track record, one can safely assume Hale now feels confident that his voice will return for Toy Story 5.

(h/t The Hollywood Reporter)

Chris Morgan

Chris Morgan is a Detroit-based culture writer who has somehow managed to justify getting his BA in Film Studies. He has written about sports and entertainment across various internet platforms for years and is also the author of three books about '90s television.

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