After Vanishing From the Spotlight for Six Years, Joan Cusack Returns for Toy Story 5 and Explains the Secret Life She Chose Over Fame
Different priorities.
Joan Cusack just stepped back onto the red carpet for the first time in 11 years, and it’s all thanks to Toy Story 5. The actress, who voices fan-favorite Jessie, made her return at the film’s premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, marking her first acting role in six years. The actress says she’s been living what she calls a “priceless” life as a “normal person” in Chicago.
Cusack didn’t just disappear from Hollywood on a whim. She’s been running her own gift shop, Judy Maxwell Home, since 2014, and before that, she was deeply focused on raising her two sons with her husband, attorney Richard Burke. “I feel so honored 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,” she said, per Variety.
That balance between career and family has clearly been a priority for her, and she’s made it work by splitting her time between acting gigs and her life in Illinois. Her return to the Toy Story franchise is a big deal, not just because it’s been six years since her last role, but because Jessie has been a part of her life for nearly three decades.
Cusack first voiced the character in 1995
She never expected the role to last this long. “I just thought they cast me because they thought it was gonna be funny to have a cowgirl with the Chicago accent,” she admitted. “I’d have a couple of lines, be in a couple of scenes, and that would be it.” Little did she know, Jessie would become one of the most beloved characters in the series, and Cusack would still be voicing her in 2026.
The new film, Toy Story 5, brings Woody and Buzz back together to save Bonnie from her new Lilypad smart tablet. Alongside Jessie, Forky, Slinky Dog, Hamm, Trixie, and an army of Buzz Lightyears, they’re on a mission to stop technology from taking over kids’ lives. It’s a classic Toy Story adventure, and this time, it’s got a little extra star power thanks to Taylor Swift. Swift wrote a new end-credits song I Knew It, I Knew You, inspired by Jessie’s story.
Cusack’s decision to step back from Hollywood was also about reclaiming a sense of normalcy. She’s always been rooted in Chicago, where she grew up and where her parents raised her and her four siblings. “My dad’s job brought [my parents] to Chicago for a couple of years, which they thought was a pretty good place to raise a family,” she said in 2011.
“They were first-generation Chicagoans. I still live in Chicago, as does my mom. It is unusual for an actress to live there, but it is where I grew up, and my parents were right, it is a good place to raise kids.” That connection to her hometown has kept her grounded, even as her career took her all over the world.
Cusack’s family has always been a central part of her life
Cusack and Burke have been married since 1999, and she’s made it a point to show her sons what it looks like to pursue passions outside of work. “I want [my kids] to see that I have things I feel passionate about because it is such a great feeling to really love something,” she has said, according to Us Weekly. Her parents set an example for her, with her mother focusing on raising the kids while her father worked.
“My mom didn’t have a job, she was just raising kids. My dad went out to work. He was a really funny man, very silly. He loved comedy. We would watch Mel Brooks movies and Monty Python, and he would always find some humor in everything,” she recalled. That upbringing clearly shaped her own approach to parenting and career.
When she’s not acting, Cusack is running Judy Maxwell Home, the lifestyle store she opened in 2011. “My kids were young, and I didn’t really want to take acting work because I always had to go away,” she told The New Yorker in 2019.
“I was trying to think of something to do because I’m not really a big cooking person. I also think, if you’re a woman now, it’s so fun to have a shop of your own. You hone your instincts in the world, versus at home. This is a little lab of my own instincts about being in the world.” The store has given her a creative outlet that doesn’t require her to be on set or in the spotlight, and it’s clear she values that independence.
Her return to Toy Story 5 feels like a full-circle moment
She’s stepping back into a role that’s defined a huge part of her career, but she’s doing it on her own terms. She’s figured out how to balance the demands of Hollywood with the joys of a quieter life. That’s something a lot of people can relate to, whether they’re in the entertainment industry or not.
The film itself promises to be a hit, especially with Swift’s new song adding to the hype. Cusack’s excitement about the project is palpable, and it’s clear she’s happy to be back, even if it’s just for a little while. Toy Story 5 hits theaters June 19, and if the premiere is any indication, fans are in for a treat. For Cusack, though, the real win might just be getting to go back to her shop and her family once the cameras stop rolling.
(Featured image: I Should Be Folding Laundry)
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