Joan Cusack has opened up about her return to the Toy Story franchise in her first red carpet appearance in 11 years. Known for voicing cowgirl Jessie, she is back for the fifth movie in the Pixar series, which is due out in cinemas next month.
Cusack appeared at the London premiere of the movie last night, which was her first red carpet showing since 2015, where she was joined by husband Richard Burke.
Speaking to Deadline about her approach to portraying Jessie and how it has changed since her first appearance in 1999's Toy Story 2, she shared: "I realise that there's a real craft to it. It means you can't use your face and your body, you just have to use your voice.
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"It's kind of really hard, because you don't hear your voice that way, that potently. What's cool is Andrew Stanton, who's the director of it, he can hear us because that's what he does.
"Over the years he pushes you to get it, and I feel like this time I felt like I had the craft for it and I could do it better. And that was just kinda cool," she added.
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Alongside Cusack, Toy Story 5 also sees the returns of Tom Hanks as Woody and Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear, while Alan Cumming has been confirmed to voice Jessie's normally-silent steed Bullseye for a dream sequence.
"Well, I would say don't expect too much, as it is a cameo, but it is quite exciting as this character has never had a voice before," the Traitors US host recently told LADbible.
The star further called it an "incredible honour" to be part of Toy Story, and that he was "so happy and proud and in disbelief".
The new movie will see the toys face off against modern technology, Stanton previously explaining that it is "not even really about a battle so much as the realisation of an existential problem: that nobody's really playing with toys anymore".
"Technology has changed everybody's lives, but we're asking what that means for us — and to our kids. We can't just get away with making tech the villain," he added to Empire.
Toy Story 5 is released in cinemas on 19 June.
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Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International. Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every 't' and dotting every 'i' as a sub-editor.
