Actress Joan Cusack really does put husband and children before her career, which why she says she rarely works.

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"In a perfect world, filmmaking would be more life-friendly," the sister of actor John Cusack told the New York Daily News. "I'm grateful I can do little parts in something and come home and be with my kids."

Cusack, 41, found a good role in "Ice Princess," opening Friday. She plays the mother of the title character (Michelle Trachtenberg), a high school senior who has to decide between college and her figure-skating career.

"I liked 'Ice Princess' because it was filmed in Toronto, which is only an hour away," said Cusack, who lives in Chicago with her lawyer husband, Richard Burke, and their two sons, Dylan, 7, and Milo, 4.

"And it has parenting themes, which I love and can relate to. I'm very passionate about being a good parent. It's such a demanding job, an active job, a 24/7 job."