[Interview] 'Ignore the Number 5': Four 'Toy Story 5' Stars on the New Film

Thirty years on, the actors who have brought the hearts of toys to life return with a new story. The new film 〈Toy Story 5〉 brings back Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack—who have voiced their characters since the first film in 1995—as Woody, Buzz and Jessie, and the smart device "Lilypad," which threatens Bonnie's relationship with them, is voiced by Greta Lee, familiar to Korean audiences for 〈Past Lives〉. We met Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack—the three actors, long beloved as friends to children—and the actor joining this legendary series, Greta Lee, at a virtual press conference. Here are the actors' comments from the upbeat conversation, which laid bare their affection for the series.

How does it feel to have participated in the series for so long? And Greta Lee, how does it feel to join the Toy Story family?

Joan Cusack Playing this character again feels like coming home. I especially love being back with Pixar.

Tim Allen We are actually doing this interview near the place where we first recorded 〈Toy Story〉. Seeing how things have completely changed, the huge buildings around here, you really feel how enormous the 〈Toy Story〉 franchise has become. It started as a small animation, and back then we met, became friends—and now we are family.

Tom Hanks Since we started 〈Toy Story〉, we've always wanted to do another one, to keep making more. So I'm thrilled we get to come back this time.

Greta Lee (in Korean) Hello, nice to meet you, this really feels like a dream. I am so happy to be with these amazing actors. I'm delighted. Please look forward to it. Thank you.

Joan (to Greta) That's really wonderful!

Is there a message you wanted to convey through Jessie's story about moving forward for Bonnie and for herself?

Joan I think the work of depicting Jessie's journey in this film is simply superb and beautiful. It renders both the growth and the pain in that journey with great care. What is most remarkable is that people can empathize with Jessie from different perspectives—parents may relate in the way they have to let go as children grow, and children may relate to the way they are drawn into smart devices and can no longer play as they used to. For those kids, it will be such a joy to know there's a character like Jessie who tells them they should have fun, play, and enjoy themselves. It's not easy for a film to capture themes about meeting true friends, sharing feelings and forming bonds, but I think 〈Toy Story 5〉 does that well.

What did you feel the first time you returned to Woody? Also, over 30 years the audience has grown up and many are now parents watching the film with their children—what would you like to say to them?

Tom Woody has been through a lot. As the leader of the toys in Andy's room, he started out somewhat authoritative, someone who felt he had to maintain order. He then went out into the wider world, rescuing and protecting abandoned toys, but his fundamental purpose as a toy—'to bring joy to children'—is still very much alive. He brought joy to Andy, brought happiness to Bonnie, and now in 〈Toy Story 5〉 he is there to support Jessie. What I especially like about Woody is that he is a toy made of organic materials. He now looks worn and shows traces of time. That doesn't mean you have to treat Woody delicately—he's a cowboy, and you can play with him as rough as you like. Woody is probably the most experienced veteran among all toy characters. Having spent thirty years with these characters, when I came back to Woody this time I felt I needed to recognize and internalize all that learning and bring it into the performance. So I approached this role with a greater sense of responsibility than any other character.

Buzz has always maintained his convictions amid confusion. What changes does he go through in this installment, and how does he differ? Also, I understand you voiced the Buzz squad yourself—do you have any behind-the-scenes stories from playing so many Buzzes?

Tim First, thank you for asking a question that has nothing to do with Tom. (laughter) I can't reveal too much, but this Buzz shows a lot more emotional range. You will see him get excited, and his feelings for Jessie will be much more apparent. Playing different versions of Buzz was really fun. I don't know how much the studio liked it, but I like upgrading my performances each time. The Buzzes you'll meet in this film are very much upgraded versions. They appear in the movie as upgraded toys, so I tried a lot of approaches while performing. To be honest, I haven't seen the final cut of the film yet. What I can say is that I had a lot of fun ad-libbing in the process. I even tried things that kids probably shouldn't do.

Lilypad feels less like a simple villain and more like a representation of children of this era. How did you approach Lilypad, and what differences did you notice between on-screen acting and voice acting? Also, you became familiar to Korean viewers through 〈Past Lives〉—do you ever miss Korea?

Greta What reassured me most when I met Director Andrew and Director McKenna was that they wanted to focus on Lilypad's human side. After all, how do you play a machine? I was also a little intimidated to join such an illustrious cast. In approaching Lilypad, I concentrated on how these smart devices manifest in my own life. I have two sons, and technology and smart devices are a complicated issue. How do I nurture my children's early years? As an adult, how should I approach these technologies? Because the world has changed a lot due to these issues, playing Lilypad gave me a chance to reflect on many parts of my life. In 〈Toy Story 5〉 there's a sequence where the toys climb to a high place and can see the whole neighborhood at once. That scene looks almost like a zombie apocalypse: the streets are empty and everyone is just staring at screens in their rooms. I think that image symbolically reflects today's reality. I'm not saying technology is simply good or bad—it's just reality. I'm grateful to be able to explore that theme through my character. To be honest, I didn't know exactly how voice acting would compare to on-screen acting, so I asked these people about it. The recordings were done alone in the studio. Phone numbers weren't shared, and we couldn't set up meetings. So recording alone seemed difficult, but I concentrated as much as I could on the soul of my character—even if that soul is a machine. And Korea — I always miss it.

Finally, please give a message to Korean fans who love the 〈Toy Story〉 series.

Tom I hope you can ignore the number "5." Every film is simply 〈Toy Story〉. I think they all tell the same kind of story — as pure and direct as laughter itself.

Tim To quote director Andrew: "The film compresses time." That fits the film very well, and we're grateful they used our real voices.