Joan Cusack thinks her role in Toy Story is the “most important” thing she’s ever done.
Importance of Toy Story
Joan Cusack, 63, has returned to voice cowgirl Jessie, whom she first played in 1999’s Toy Story 2, for the fourth time in Toy Story 5. She loves being part of the franchise because of the lessons it can teach children, as well as offering them entertainment.
She told ABC, “It’s been the most important thing I’ve done in my whole life. That’s what kids watch. So to do something like that where you’re contributing to their world was fun to think about.”
And Joan Cusack teased that Toy Story 5 will show some new sides to Jessie as the cowgirl gains maturity.
She said, “She kind of grows up to be, in this film, a real leader. She’s brave, she’s fearless, it just gets to some emotional depth that is kind of unexpected.”
Stepping Back from Hollywood
The Shameless star, who has two sons with her husband Richard Burke, has taken a step back from Hollywood in recent years and has enjoyed being a “normal person” in Chicago.
Joan Cusack shared with Variety, “I think because I’ve worked for a long time and you know, I feel so honored to be able to work in this industry 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. It’s kind of cool.”
Taylor Swift’s Song
Meanwhile, Taylor Swift has written a new song, I Knew It, I Knew You, for Toy Story 5, from the perspective of Jessie. Joan’s co-star, Tom Hanks, recently revealed the cast weren’t told about the track until it was released.
Speaking to E! News about Taylor’s Toy Story tune, he said, “We did not know. We were told the day it came out as a matter of fact. They said, ‘Tonight at nine o’clock Taylor Swift is going to be dropping the song that ends our movie.”
“I said, ‘I’ve seen the movie. There was no Taylor Swift song.’ They said, ‘We know.’ It was all this diabolical … they don’t trust us, and there is a brain trust that goes along that I am not a part of. So, I just do what I’m told.”
“Great Responsibility”
The 69-year-old actor reprised his role as Sheriff Woody for the latest film, which also features Greta Lee, Conan O’Brien, Alan Cumming, and Bad Bunny, alongside Tim Allen, who voices Buzz Lightyear.
And Tom has told how the pair knew they had a “great responsibility” when they were filming Toy Story 2.
Tom added, “We realized somewhere in the second movie, which we call ‘the next Toy Story’, that we were in the presence of a great responsibility.”
“And we started getting together to talk about that, along with everything else that goes along with our lives.”