Jack Black Admits Regret Over Declining Villain Role in Beloved Film

Jack Black is opening up about a career decision he now wishes he could take back.

The actor revealed that the role he most regrets turning down was the villain Syndrome in Pixar's hit animated film "The Incredibles."

Black, 56, shared the confession during a Capital FM interview published in late December.

When asked if there was a movie role he had ever said no to and later regretted, he first joked about the awkwardness of the question.

"Because then the person who got the role, they look like s--- because, 'Oh, I was a second choice?'" he laughed. But moments later, he decided to answer anyway. "No, I'm going to answer it because I don't care," he said.

"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," Black admitted.

Syndrome, who was eventually voiced by Jason Lee, became one of Pixar's most memorable villains. The 2004 film went on to earn huge praise and box office success.

Black explained that he passed on the role because he had doubts about the director and the script at the time.

"I said no because I was like, 'Uhhh, Brad Bird? Never heard of him!'" he recalled. He also felt the character was too simple, People reported.

"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," Black said he told the director.

Jack Black Admits Being 'Difficult' on 'The Incredibles'

When he asked for changes, he was quickly removed from consideration. "He was like, 'Yeah, you're done. Get out of here,'" Black joked.

According to Yahoo, Black admitted he was wrong. "I learned a valuable lesson because when that movie came out, it was one of the best movies ever made," he said. "I was like, 'Why was I being so difficult?!'"

Despite missing out on "The Incredibles," Black's career did not suffer.

He had already starred in "School of Rock" and went on to appear in popular films like "King Kong," "Nacho Libre," and "The Holiday."

He also found major success in animation, voicing Po in the "Kung Fu Panda" series and Bowser in "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," a role he will reprise in the upcoming sequel.

Black is currently promoting his new film "Anaconda" with Paul Rudd, who praised him for his kindness and talent.

Rudd said working with Black was a dream come true and described him as someone everyone admires.

Originally published on Enstarz

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