Joan Cusack Returns to Red Carpet After 11-Year Hiatus for Toy Story 5

After more than a decade out of the spotlight, Joan Cusack stepped back into the glare of the red carpet—and it was all for a character she’s been voicing since 1999. The 63-year-old actress made her triumphant return at the Toy Story 5 premiere on Thursday, May 28 at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London, reprising her role as Jessie the Cowgirl, the spunky cowgirl toy who’s been a franchise staple since Toy Story 2.

Cusack’s last red carpet walk was back in 2015 at Sundance for The End Of The Tour, where she also took home an Emmy that same year for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on Shameless. The intervening years have been deliberate—she chose to step away from the Hollywood grind to prioritize raising her two sons with her husband Richard Burke in Chicago, where the family has built a quieter life. That included opening her lifestyle store, Judy Maxwell Home, and making intentional career choices that allowed her to be present at home.

What makes this comeback moment particularly poignant is the subject matter. Cusack didn’t just show up; she spoke passionately about what Toy Story 5 represents. The film centers on a question every parent wrestles with: when and how much technology should kids have access to?“I know every parent in the United States worries about their kids. When do you get them involved in tech? What does that do to their brains?”she told Entertainment Weekly in April.“And that’s what this movie’s about. It’s about humanity and playing and loyalty—and it makes me cry.”

That kind of emotional investment—combined with her willingness to return for a character she’s embodied for nearly three decades—suggests this isn’t a one-off appearance. It’s a signal that Cusack’s ready to be visible again, at least when the project moves her. At the premiere, she posed with her costars Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, and Greta Lee, along with the classic Toy Story characters: Jessie, Woody, and Buzz. She and Lee shared a warm moment on the carpet, embracing for photos—a reminder that even after years away, she still belongs in these spaces.

Toy Story 5 arrives in theaters on Friday, June 19. For fans who grew up with Jessie’s voice, and for those who’ve followed Cusack’s quieter career arc, her return feels less like a celebrity sighting and more like a homecoming. Sometimes the best comebacks aren’t about reclaiming lost ground—they’re about showing up when it genuinely matters.