Beloved Star Breaks 11-Year Red Carpet Silence — The Reason Will Melt Your Heart

Quick Smiles:

• Joan Cusack made her first red carpet appearance in 11 years at the Toy Story 5 premiere in London
• The notoriously private actress stepped out to celebrate her character Jessie finally taking center stage as the leading toy
• After more than 30 years, the Toy Story magic continues with the franchise’s beloved voices reuniting for a heartwarming new chapter

The stars shone bright on the red carpet for the May 28, 2026, premiere of Toy Story 5 in London. Of course, Tom Hanks and Tim Allen were there to represent Woody and Buzz.

But they weren’t the only ones celebrating. Joan Cusack, the voice of cowgirl Jessie, joined her castmates at the premiere in a rare and special appearance.

This marks Joan’s first red carpet appearance in more than a decade. The last time Joan attended a premiere was back in 2015.

Although she likes to keep her private life private, Toy Story 5 is just too big not to celebrate. And for good reason — this film marks a major milestone for her beloved character.

At the end of Toy Story 4, we saw Woody walk into the sunset with Bo Peep. Many feared it might be the end of the franchise, but Walt Disney is breathing new life into our favorite characters.

More than 30 years after Toy Story premiered, Tom Hanks and Tim Allen will reprise their roles once again, but with a new twist. Joan Cusack has played Jessie since Toy Story 2, but Toy Story 5 marks the first time her character will take on the leading role.

“Well, we had gone to the well of Woody so much, I just felt like he needs a break. Let him be happy in a choice he’s made for a little bit, and he’ll still have stuff, but it won’t have to be such high stakes, and Jessie was just so prime, probably even a movie ago, to deal with the stuff that’s gone on with her, and she was so ready to be the next leader of the toys in the room, and so, it was always on my mind from the minute I got brought onto [Toy Story] 4,” Director Andrew Stanton shared.

“I made sure we passed the badge on so it was official, so that even if we didn’t go beyond, in your mind, she had graduated to that.”

We can’t wait to see what Joan Cusack and the crew have in store. The heartwarming adventure reminds us that some stories are worth waiting for — and some characters deserve their moment to shine.

Toy Story 5 hit theatres on June 19, bringing joy to families and reminding us all why we fell in love with these characters three decades ago.

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