Tom Hanks wearing a Christmas hat
Tom Hanks was behind five characters in The Polar Express (Picture: Getty)

It’s 20 years since The Polar Express graced our screens, but many fans are only just finding out that Tom Hanks voiced a whopping five characters in the Christmas classic.

Set on Christmas Eve, The Polar Express is a 2004 film that follows a young boy who sees a mysterious train stop outside his window, which he – naturally – boards, as it heads to the North Pole and Santa Claus’ gaff.

How many characters did Tom Hanks voice in The Polar Express?

In the film – which has a 56% on the Rotten Tomatometer – Hanks, now 68, voiced five characters (6 if you count the narrator as a separate character).

He is behind the animated characters Hero Boy’s’ father, the train conductor, the hobo, Santa Claus, and the Scrooge puppet.

‘I was today years old when i found out this man played 5 different characters in this movie,’ wrote @djelzee in a viral X post.

Tom Hanks
The film was released in 2004 and fans are only just realising (Picture: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

Others chimed in agreeing, as @mynameisazman said, ‘Me tooo i thought he was only playing the train conductor wtff,’ while @veespo2_s added: ‘I was today years old when I found out he was in this movie.’

Meanwhile, others commented on the Forest Gump star’s huge acting range, as @musfira_shah77 wrote: ‘Today’s the day I learned the true definition of versatility. Playing five characters in the same film? That’s next level!’

While some dubbed the film ‘awful’, many defended it, as craig_is_autistic_af said: ‘That film is ripe for a remaster. Underrated.’

He played so many characters in the film fans thought it couldn’t be real (Picture: AP)
He played the train conductor and Santa in this scene(Picture: AP)
Tom Hanks character in The Polar Express
It does look kind of like him (Picture: Castle Rock/Shangri-La/Kobal/REX)

@jelly_momm asked: ‘Serious question…. Does he get paid for each character? Or like does he get paid more of the budget for not letting other people be in the movie? Or is it just so you can say you played 5 people in a movie? Why do actors do this.’

While Tom was on our screens more than we realised in this festive classic, he’s currently all over Netflix, leaving fans in floods of tears in A Man Called Otto.

This realision from fans comes after Tom revealed he is often mistaken for another actor.

During an appearance on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast to promote his new film, Here – which has not gone down well with critics – the Green Mile actor said he gets mistaken for Michael Keaton ‘all the time’.

‘They don’t say “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” to me exactly. But a lot of time, “Hey, were you in that?” I get that.’

Where to watch The Polar Express

You can watch The Polar Express this Christmas on either NOW with a premium subscription, Apple TV from $4.49, Amazon Prime from £3.49, on Sky Store for £3.49, or on Google Play for £3.49.

It is also airing on Sky Movies Drama and Romance at 4.15pm on Wednesday November 20, and again on Thursday November 21 at 12.10pm.

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