Paradise star Krys Marshall lands Toy Story 5 role after 'ultimate try-hard' email
Krys Marshall will play a parent whose child is embracing technology in the new Toy Story film.
Krys Marshall sent the "ultimate try-hard kind of email" to land a role in Toy Story 5.
The Paradise star is joining the cast of Disney and Pixar's latest instalment in the beloved film series, and she'll be reuniting with franchise veteran Andrew Stanton after they worked together on AppleTV's For All Mankind.
She told Deadline: “We got on like a house on fire. I adore Andrew. And since working with him on For All Mankind, I had a kid.
"And so now I’m watching kid content. And so when I heard at [D23] that they were bringing back Toy Story 5 and that Andrew would be the director, I just shot him an email, and I was like, ‘I hope you’re well. Since I saw you last, I had a kid, and I would just love to be a part of the Toy Story universe.’
"And so it was the ultimate try-hard kind of email, like, embarrassingly uncool to just ask for a job, and I didn’t hear anything for nine months, and then seemingly out of the blue, I get an email saying, ‘You have an offer for Toy Story 5.' ”
Stanton is a veteran at Pixar, having co-written every Toy Story movie, along with the likes of A Bug's Life, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo, WALL-E and Finding Dory.
Toy Story 5 - which releases June 19, 2026 - will follow Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack) and the gang as they battle for their owner Bonnie’s attention when electronic tablet Lily Pad (Anna Faris) threatens to dominate playtime.
Although details and a name for her character haven't been confirmed, the outlet noted she will voice a grownup having to contend with her own child embracing tech.
Marshall described screens as an "ever-present evil" in her life, despite enjoying being able to connect with family, friends and fans online.
She added: "It’s also pretty heartbreaking that you miss so much in real life because we’re trapped in our phones, and sadly, it’s transferred over to kids.
"So the story is really beautiful, the duality of these toys that are aging and becoming less interesting to kids, and the ways in which tech is starting to invade, but ultimately, there’s no replacement for human imagination and that will always prevail, I believe.”
Stanton previously insisted Toy Story 5 will be a worthy continuation of the series as it “allows [him] to embrace time” and children’s evolving relationship with their toys amid the reliance on technology.
During an interview with Empire magazine, the 59-year-old filmmaker said: “Honestly, it’s 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.”
