Jack Black says he regrets declining the part of Syndrome in Pixar’s The Incredibles. Many people consider Syndrome to be Pixar’s greatest villain of all time, having transitioned from admiring superheroes to using all his strength to wipe them out.
Black was questioned about a movie he wished he could have shot while advertising the new Anaconda on Capital FM. He was asked if he would have turned it down or if he already had other obligations.
“It’s a tricky question because then the person who got the role… they look like s*** because, Oh, I was a second choice,” was his first response. “I was sloppy seconds!”
Black then discusses how he was offered the part of Syndrome in The Incredibles but turned it down because he didn’t know director Brad Bird, felt the character was too flat, and requested that he be given more nuance. After watching the completed film, his viewpoint completely shifted.
He says, “No, I’m gonna answer it, because I don’t care. 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. And I said no because I was like, “Uhhh, Brad Bird? Never heard of 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.” And I learned a valuable lesson because when that movie came out, it was one of the best movies ever made. I was like, “Why was I being so difficult?!”
Jason Lee went on to voice Syndrome, and The Incredibles is still regarded as one of Pixar’s greatest films 22 years after it was released in theaters. The movie has a 97% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating that most critics concur.
