Jack Black’s ‘Biggest Regret’ Was Turning Down This Iconic Role in ‘The Incredibles’
What To Know
- Jack Black revealed regret over turning down the role of Syndrome in The Incredibles.
- He declined the part after asking director Brad Bird for a more complex villain character.
- Jason Lee ultimately voiced Syndrome, and Black later admitted he learned a lesson about being too demanding.
Jack Black recently confessed regret over turning down an iconic role in The Incredibles.
During an interview with Capital FM published on December 25, the School of Rock actor and his pal, Paul Rudd, promoted their new film Anaconda while fielding other questions about their careers.
When asked what the one film was that they turned down that they wished they could do, Rudd, 56, offered a polite answer. “There are always those,” he admitted. “But I always think that if they were really good, they were really good because of the people that were in there, you know?”
However, Black, also 56, replied, “You know, it’s a tricky question because then, the person who got the role, they look like s*** because, ‘Oh, I was second choice? I was sloppy seconds?’ But I’m going to answer it because I don’t care.'”
He then revealed, “I was offered — and I do regret it, saying no — I was offered Syndrome in that fantastic movie The Incredibles,” he revealed. “One of my favorites of all time, by the way.”
Black explained that he told director Brad Bird, “This character that you’re offering me is like a villain, but he’s kinda one-dimensional. I’m interested, but I’d like to see a rewrite. Will you add some dimensions to this character?’ And he was like, ‘You’re done. Get out of here.'”
Syndrome in ‘The Incredibles’ (Walt Disney/courtesy Everett Collection)
The Super Mario Bros. Movie star concluded, “I learned a valuable lesson because then the movie came out. It was one of the best movies ever made. And I was like, ‘Why was I being so difficult?'”
Ultimately, Jason Lee voiced Syndrome/Buddy Pine in The Incredibles (2004). He was joined by Craig T. Nelson as Bob Parr, Samuel L. Jackson as Lucious Best, Holy Hunter as Helen Parr, Spencer Fox as Dash Parr, Sarah Vowell as Violet Parr, and more. Incredibles 2 hit theaters in 2018, and Incredibles 3 is currently in the works.
The Incredibles, streaming on Disney+