Toy Story 5: Joan Cusack reflects on 'Priceless' break in premiere

Joan Cusack reflected back on her break, away from Hollywood, she called it “priceless”, during Toy Story 5 premiere.

On June 9, the actress opened up about her decision to take a break from Hollywood. At the Los Angeles premiere of Toy Story 5, the Working Girl actress told Variety that she chose to return to Hollywood for this particular story because she “worked for a long time.”

She also stated, “I feel so honored to have worked in this industry for a long time”. She continued, “But it’s also great to live your life and raise your kids and be in Chicago and be a normal person. It’s kind of priceless, so there’s that.”

The actress shares sons Dylan John and Miles with her husband, Richard Burke.

Her Los Angeles appearance followed her and Burke’s attendance at the London premiere on May 28, which marked her first time on a red carpet since September 2015. Cusack’s return also celebrated the famed franchise’s fifth installment, which centers on her character, Jessie.

“This time it’s Toy meets Tech,” reads an official synopsis. “Buzz, Woody, Jessie, and the rest of the gang’s jobs are challenged when they’re introduced to what kids are obsessed with today….electronics!”

The first official trailer showed Jessie, Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the gang grappling with Bonnie’s newest obsession, a sleek, smart tablet called Lily Pad, gifted by her parents. In the trailer, Cusack is seen conversing with Woody about what’s to come. Woody is still out in the world rescuing abandoned toys and checks in with Jessie over a walkie-talkie. “Toys are for play … but tech is for everything,” he says somberly. Jessie doesn’t sugarcoat the stakes: “I’m losing Bonnie to this device.”

The latest iteration also includes the return of Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz, Tony Hale as Forky, Blake Clark as Slinky Dog, Wallace Shawn as Rex, and John Ratzenberger as Hamm. New characters Lily Pad, Evil Bullseye, and Pizza with Sunglasses are voiced by Greta Lee, Alan Cumming, and Bad Bunny, respectively.

Cusack joined the Toy Story franchise with the second film, which hit theaters in 1999. The fifth film is her first since 2019, when she voiced characters in Klaus and Toy Story 4 and appeared onscreen in Netflix’s Let It Snow. The two-time Oscar nominee also starred in three episodes of Prime Video’s Homecoming in 2000.