Toy Story 5’s Ernie Hudson Didn’t Know He Was Replacing Carl Weathers

The Ghostbusters star was cast to voice the action figure Combat Carl in the upcoming sequel, a role that previously belonged to the late Carl Weathers. Combat Carl first debuted in Toy Story of Terror!, a Halloween-themed television special that aired on ABC in 2013, during which he helps Jessie (Joan Cusack) overcome her fear and save the other toys. Weathers returned to reprise multiple Combat Carls in Toy Story 4, which was released in theaters in 2019.

In an interview with ScreenRant‘s Liam Crowley for Boston Blue, Hudson was asked how it felt to take on the role of Combat Carl and come aboard the Toy Story franchise. After years of being disappointed that he hadn’t been asked to join the franchise, he explained that he was thrilled to join it and some of his friends who have been a part of it. However, Hudson did not know until after “the first session” that he was playing Weathers’ character. He believes this was so he could make the performance his own, and he is now “honored” to build on the work of his longtime friend. Check out Hudson’s comments below:

It was great to enter the franchise because I’ve always been a fan of it and I’ve always been disappointed that they never asked me to. And I had friends who was on it, Carl Weathers and Annie Potts and Tom Hanks and just a bunch of guys who I’ve worked with over the years, but they didn’t tell me that Combat Carl had been played by Carl Weathers. So when I went into the session, we did the first session and the fans heard about it and they told me. And I thought, ‘Well, why didn’t you…’ And I think they probably wanted me to sort of do my own thing without trying to emulate or repeat what he had done or something. I don’t know. So hopefully the fans will like it, but Carl, he had been a friend for 40, 50 years. I’ve known him for a long time, great guy, and I’m honored to play the role, but what I came out of it with was just how it’ll match up. You’ll have to let me know.

Hudson’s friends Tom Hanks and Annie Potts are not only part of Toy Story 5‘s cast, but have been with the franchise since the original movie debuted in 1995, as Hanks and Potts are the respective voices of Woody and Bo Peep. While Woody has appeared in and been at the forefront of all the movies, Bo Peep had a smaller role in the first two films, was absent from Toy Story 3, and then returned to play a major part in Toy Story 4.

Combat Carl is one of several characters who has been recast for Toy Story 5. The others are Mr. Potato Head, Mrs. Potato Head, and Bonnie. Original Mr. Potato Head actor Don Rickles passed away in 2017, and his old dialogue was repurposed for Toy Story 4, but the fifth movie has recast the character with Jeff Bergman. Estelle Harris, the voice of Mrs. Potato Head, passed away in 2022, and she is now voiced by Anna Vocino. As for Bonnie, this is the second time that her voice actor has changed, with Scarlett Spears in the part after featuring Emily Hahn in Toy Story 3 and Madeleine McGraw in Toy Story 4.

Toy Story 5‘s cast of characters also includes Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Lilypad (Greta Lee), Hamm (John Ratzenberger), Rex (Wallace Shawn), Slinky Dog (Blake Clark), Forky (Tony Hale), Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves), Mr. Pricklepants (John Hopkins), Trixie (Kristen Schaal), Dolly (Bonnie Hunt), Karen Beverly (Melissa Villaseñor), and Smarty Pants (Conan O’Brien). Lilypad is a tablet that takes Bonnie’s attention away from her toys, setting up a conflict between them and technology and raising difficult questions about the future. Paradise star Krys Marshall is playing a grownup who contends with their child’s changing play habits. The film is directed by Andrew Stanton and releases in theaters on June 19.