Joan Cusack was over the moon when she learned that “Toy Story 5” would be Jessie’s film.
“I was so excited,” Cusack, 63, said in a recent call from the Pixar headquarters in Emeryville, Calif. “I felt like there was a great story there for girls.”
Since the character’s debut in “Toy Story 2” in 1999, Cusack has voiced the feisty cowgirl doll through four movies, two TV specials, a short film series, six video games and two theme park rides. In the latest film, now in theaters, she leads Buzz Lightyear (the astronaut action figure voiced by Tim Allen), Woody (Tom Hanks’s cowboy doll) and the gang against a new threat: a frog-faced smart tablet named Lilypad.
It’s been quite the evolution for Jessie, who was initially envisioned as a talking cactus, a sidekick for the Prospector character, designed to “sway Woody with her feminine wiles,” according to the 2008 book “The Pixar Touch” by David A. Price. At one point, she was called Señorita Cactus.
“Oh, wow, I didn’t know that!” said Cusack, who shares Jessie’s energetic temperament and slightly nasal, Chicago-inflected twang.
Aside from her Jessie duties, Cusack has established herself as a beloved comedic actress in films like “Working Girl” (1988) and “In & Out” (1997). She was also a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” from 1985 to 1986.
In an interview, she reflected on a pivotal suggestion she made for Jessie’s character in “Toy Story 3” and why she left Hollywood to open a gift shop named for a Barbra Streisand character. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
You’ve been playing Jessie for nearly 27 years. Did you ever think you’d do four films?
No. It’s such a different kind of filmmaking because you just do your little part. The first time I saw “Toy Story 2,” I had no idea what the whole story would be.
How did you find her voice?
Well, originally they thought it would be funny if they had a cowgirl with a Chicago accent, so I didn’t really do anything. It was just my voice.
Are you ever recognized as Jessie?
Not really, because Jessie is animated. I do like when people hear my voice though and sometimes will say, “Hey, I’ve heard that before.”
What influence did you have on her development as a character?
In “Toy Story 3,” they originally had Woody saving Jessie on the train, and I was like, “Maybe it’d be fun if Jessie saved Woody.” I grew up with a very feminist political mom, so I just couldn’t help but say that, and they were like, “That’s a great idea.” And that’s what they did. Part of your job as an actor is to come prepared, and so I’ve always read a script and thought of things I could add. Sometimes they would take them, sometimes they wouldn’t.
How is Jessie tested in new ways in the new film? What new sides of her do we see?
Some of the scenes are really emotional. It’s kind of unexpected in a kids’ movie, but that’s what Pixar is known for, great characters. I think they did an amazing job with Jessie.
There’s a heart-wrenching scene where the little girl Bonnie’s friends make fun of her in the group chat for playing with toys.
Oh my God, could you believe that?
Kids are so cruel.
That’s some of the issue with tech: It’s easy to be cruel because the person isn’t there, you’re not saying it to someone’s face.
Are smart toys the problem, or are they just misunderstood?
If tech is dominating, if it’s addictive, it’s one thing, but if it helps connect you with someone, and at the end it’s about finding a real friend and laughing really hard with a real person, then it has its place.
Speaking of relationships, we have to talk about Jessie and Buzz Lightyear. I assume you’re Team Bessie?
Oh yeah, he’s the best. Growing up, that’s who my boys loved. He’s the coolest.
What has it been like working with Tim Allen, who voices Buzz Lightyear, on these films?
Well, you don’t work with any of the other actors. You’re by yourself in a room with just the director, and then they put it all together. So the most time I’ve spent with Tim Allen and Tom Hanks is doing these press things. Isn’t that funny?
In 2014, you opened a gift shop in your hometown, Chicago, which you named Judy Maxwell Home after a character in “What’s Up, Doc?,” the 1972 Barbra Streisand comedy. Why did you leave Hollywood?
I wanted to be around and raise my kids, and if you’re acting, you always have to go away to work. [It’s] three months of your life here and there. When I was doing “School of Rock,” my son was around seven months old, and I remember him in the hotel room, crawling for the first time toward a banana.
I was trying to find something creative to do and still be at home. I wasn’t a big shopper, but I’d been on lots of really interesting sets, and so I thought, if I could make it easy and around the corner, what would be fun things to sell?
It’s been a low-pressure way to be creative, and to have people come into the shop and laugh. Most everything in the store is funny!
What do you hope to do next?
It’s hard to beat this. You never know what’s around the corner, and I can do things, or I can not do things, and I feel really blessed to be in that position.
Time for a lightning round.
Ooh, I’m excited.
What was your favorite toy as a kid?
It sounds so bizarre, but it was like a Barbie head, and then her neck was a little tray, and you could put makeup on her and brush her hair.
Have you been on any of the “Toy Story” rides at the Disney theme parks?
I haven’t. Actually, the only vacation our family ever took growing up was to Disneyland. I remember it so vividly: We stayed at the hotel and took the train over, and there was a kiosk at the hotel that had really delicious steak teriyaki. It was magical.
I have a couple of “Toy Story” fan theories I want to run by you: First, Andy’s mom is Jessie’s previous owner, Emily.
I think they put that to rest in the new one. I guess I could ask someone here, though. I am at Pixar. I could get to the bottom of it.
How about this one: All the “Toy Story” movies happened in Andy’s imagination.
That sounds fun. This could all just be happening in your imagination.
Which feat would you be more likely to achieve: Yodel for 30 seconds without stopping for breath, or stay on a mechanical bull for 30 seconds?
Oh, wow. A real disappointment I have is that if I had actually taken yodeling seriously 20 years ago and tried to learn how to yodel, I probably could. So I’m going to say I could probably yodel, but it just would be gibberish.
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