Joan Cusack returned as Jessie in Toy Story 5 and walked the film's premiere red carpet with her husband Richard Burke and their sons Dylan, 28, and Miles, 25 — her first red carpet in 11 years.
Joan Cusack's 11-Year Red Carpet
Toy Story 5 opens in theaters June 19 and teams Jessie with Woody and Buzz Lightyear to oppose a tech takeover of their home engineered by Lilypad, a role voiced by Greta Lee; Cusack said, "I love this movie so much, so I'm so glad that it resonated with her and she wanted to write a song for it, because it means so many more people come to see the movie."
Toy Story 5 Opens June 19
Joan Cusack said, "I live in Chicago and I've kind of done some things, but sort of focused on raising my kids." Off screen she runs Judy Maxwell Home in Chicago's Old Town, described as an urban general store named after Barbra Streisand's Judy Maxwell in What’s Up, Doc?, a detail that frames how Cusack has split her time between a major studio franchise and a local retail business.
Judy Maxwell Home in Old Town
Two-time Oscar nominee for 1988's Working Girl and 1997's In & Out, Cusack reopened a higher-visibility chapter by returning to Toy Story 5 while maintaining a lowered public profile; she added, "Sometimes when I talk, people will look at me" and, "And they don't know from where because I don't look like Jesse, so it doesn't immediately come to mind."
Taylor Swift's contribution to the soundtrack remains the most immediate cross-promotional lift cited at the premiere, and Cusack called Swift's latest single "such a good song," linking a superstar's pop single to potential incremental ticket sales for Toy Story 5.
How did Taylor Swift come to write a song inspired by Jessie?
