What Sid From Toy Story Looks Like In Real Life
When talking about the cast of the Toy Story movies, most fans mention names like Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Wallace Shawn, and Don Rickles, among many others. But alongside the beloved playthings, equally praiseworthy performers give life to the franchise's human characters. The devious Sid Phillips is no exception, and interestingly enough, the reputation of his voice actor, Erik von Detten, is the complete opposite of the much-maligned Pixar villain.
The character is well-remembered in 1995's "Toy Story" as Andy's menacing neighbor who took great joy in tormenting any toy unlucky to come into his possession. Whether he's swapping toys' body parts, strapping them to explosives, or giving them to his equally destructive dog Scud, Sid is every toy's worst nightmare come to life and then some. The antagonist is put in his place (and likely given lifelong trauma) thanks to the combined effort of Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) and Sid's other toys coming to life before his eyes. Following the troubling experience, Sid doesn't make much of his life, making a brief cameo as a garbage man in "Toy Story 3."
In both films, Sid's voice is provided by von Detten. Other than both being caucasian males, the actor doesn't resemble his computer-animated counterpart whatsoever. Whereas Sid was given a somewhat grotesque design in the original "Toy Story," von Detten is the textbook definition of a '90s and '00s heartthrob, with a lean figure, wavy blonde hair, and blue eyes. But your chances of seeing his face on the big screen again are slim.
Where has Erik von Detten been in recent years?
Erik von Detten's role as Sid in the Toy Story franchise is far from his only time working for Disney. His resume under the Mouse House includes such films and TV shows as "Escape to Witch Mountain," "Hercules," "Brink!" "Tarzan," and "Recess." Disney diehards will likely recognize him from 2001's "The Princess Diaries," where he portrayed Josh Bryant, the classroom crush of high school student-turned-high royalty Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway).
Von Detten has been out of the spotlight for some time now, with his latest role being his Sid cameo in 2010's "Toy Story 3." For the former performer, keeping a steady acting career was not easy. As he told E! News in a 2021 interview, "I would literally go for a length of time without any roles that I fit the bill for ... You're either in the very top half a percent doing very well or, well ... it's just very competitive." Despite his best efforts, exiting the entertainment industry was something von Detten needed to do to pursue the life he envisioned. "Since I was a kid, I wanted to have a large family. And, in Los Angeles, that requires a consistent, realistic income. So, the fickle nature of employment as an actor just wasn't consistent enough for me."
Von Detten has gone on to have a fruitful management career at a commodities brokerage and shares his life with his wife Angela and their three kids in Los Angeles. Asked if he'd ever consider returning to the acting world, von Detten told E! News, "Absolutely ... if there's a script with a role that doesn't require an arduous audition process, I'm definitely open."