While looking back can often take one's focus away from the present, Jack Black sometimes finds himself unable to resist the urge to do so. After all, there are some roles that actors regret turning down, and for Jack, that role is Syndrome, the super villain in Pixar's The Incredibles. Although Jack admits that he usually doesn't like to answer questions about roles he regrets, as he doesn't want the people who did get the job to feel like they're "second-best," in this case, he doesn't mind sharing his thoughts.
"I was offered - and I do regret saying no - the role of Syndrome in that fantastic movie The Incredibles," he said during a December 25th interview on Capital FM. "It's one of my favorites of all time, by the way. And I said no because I was like, 'Uhhh, [director] Brad Bird? Never heard of him!'"
But Jack's decision wasn't just based on his unfamiliarity with Brad's filmography, which boasts movies such as The Iron Giant, Ratatouille, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, and Tomorrowland. He also felt that Syndrome was too one-dimensional.
"This character that you're offering me is like a villain, but he's kinda one-dimensional," Jack recalled saying to Brad. "'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.'"
When The Incredibles premiered in 2004 to great success, it served as a valuable reminder for Jack. "I learned a valuable lesson because when that movie came out, it was one of the best movies ever made," he admitted. "I was like, 'Why was I being so difficult?!"
In the years since, Jack has lent his voice to a number of beloved characters, ranging from Zeke the saber-toothed tiger in Ice Age and Lenny the vegetarian shark in Shark Tale to Po the panda in Kung Fu Panda.
As for how Jack's Anaconda costar Paul Rudd feels about roles he's turned down in what ultimately became hit films, his answer is as diplomatic as ever. "I always think that if they were really good, they were really good because of the people who were in there," he reflected during their joint interview.
