Joan Cusack walks first red carpet in 11 years, explains absence from promo circuit

Toy Story 5 star Joan Cusack made a rare public appearance at the film’s premiere and discussed why she is more selective with her appearances in recent years.

The veteran actor walked her first red carpet in over a decade, with her output becoming increasingly sporadic in recent years. Toy Story 5 is her first movie since 2019, and her first acting gig since the 2020 TV show Homecoming.

Asked by Variety on the red carpet why she has become selective with her projects, she explained: “I think because I’ve worked for a long time and I’m so honoured to be able to work in this industry for a long time, 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.”

Joan Cusack says she’s become more selective about the roles she takes on because “it’s great to live your life, raise your kids and be a normal person in Chicago.” #ToyStory5 pic.twitter.com/QCWWIxV9MT

— Variety (@Variety) June 10, 2026

When the interviewer said the crowd were “so excited” to see her, she replied: “Aw. Well, it’s kinda cool ’cause there’s not that many movies that do huge red carpets unless you’re doing like an action, superhero [film], so it’s cool.”

Known for her role as Jessie in the Toy Story franchise, Cusack has had a long and successful career in film and television. Her biggest hits include playing the villain in 1993 comedy Addams Family Values, School Of Rock, High Fidelity opposite her brother John Cusack, and the US version of the TV show Shameless. She has been nominated for two Oscars, for her performances in 1989 film Working Girl and 1998 comedy In & Out respectively.

Toy Story 5 is released June 19 in UK cinemas. Recently, Taylor Swift released an original song for the film, ‘I Knew It, I Knew You’, sung from the perspective of Cusack’s character Jessie. The Eras singer explained her long-running association with the franchise, having been a Toy Story fan since she was five years old.

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