Jack Black Says Passing on THE INCREDIBLES Was the Biggest Regret of His Career - "Why Was I Being So Difficult?"
Jack Black recently opened up about one of those moments, and it involves Pixar, a legendary villain, and a decision he wishes he could take back.
During an interview with Capital FM, Black admitted that turning down The Incredibles sits at the top of his list of career regrets. The actor and musician was offered the role of Syndrome, the film’s scene-stealing antagonist, but he walked away after questioning the project and pushing for changes.
“I was offered, and I do regret it, saying no… I was offered Syndrome in that fantastic movie The Incredibles — one of my favorites of all time, by the way,” Black said.
“And I said no because I was like, ‘Uhhh, [director] Brad Bird? Never heard of him!’ [I said to him], ‘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, ‘Yeah, you’re done.'”
At the time, Black wasn’t familiar with Brad Bird, whose main claim to fame was the animated cult favorite The Iron Giant. That should’ve been enough for Black to say yes! In hindsight, Black says the experience taught him a tough lesson about trusting creative instincts other than his own.
“I learned a valuable lesson because when that movie came out, it was one of the best movies ever made,” Black added. “I was like, ‘Why was I being so difficult?'”
The role ultimately went to Jason Lee, who helped turn Syndrome into one of Pixar’s most memorable villains. The Incredibles went on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and is still widely regarded as one of the studio’s strongest original films.
While Black missed out on the film, his animation resume turned out just fine. He became the voice of Po in Kung Fu Panda, anchoring one of DreamWorks Animation’s most successful franchises.
More recently, he brought Bowser to life in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which crossed the billion-dollar mark at the global box office. Black is set to return as the iconic Nintendo villain in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, scheduled to hit theaters on April 3.
Looking back, it’s easy to imagine what Black might’ve done with Syndrome. I think he would’ve been great in the role. It’s too bad he passed on the film.
