Jack Black wishes he could go back.
In an interview with Capital FM, Black, 56, said it was “tricky” when asked to name a movie role that he’s turned down.
“Because then the person who got the role, they look like s–t because, ‘Oh, I was a second choice? I was sloppy seconds!’” Black joked.
Jordan North, one of the hosts, said he would never ask that question again because he “never thought of that” in that way.
“No, I’m going to answer it because I don’t care,” the “Kung Fu Panda” actor continued.
“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,” the actor said. “And I said no because I was like, ‘Uhhh, [director] Brad Bird? Never heard of him!’”
Syndrome, who is voiced by Jason Lee, was a mega fan of Mr. Incredible (voiced by Craig T. Nelson) and became the super villain of the movie. Syndrome planned to eliminate all superheroes to sell super weapons.
The actor said said one of the reasons why he turned down the role was because of how the villain was written.
“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 remembered telling the director. “Will you add some dimensions to this character?’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, you’re done. Get out of here.’”
“I learned a valuable lesson because when that movie came out, it was one of the best movies ever made,” he continued. “I was like, ‘Why was I being so difficult?!’”
Pixar’s “The Incredibles” came out in 2004 and brought in over $630 million at the box office. The movie won the 2005 Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Animated Feature, the 2005 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and the 2005 Academy Award for Best Sound Editing.
Over a decade later, the film’s sequel, “Incredibles 2,” came out in 2018. A third movie is currently in development.
Though he turned down a Disney role, Black has had a blossoming career, starring in movies such as “School of Rock,” “Nacho Libre,” “Kung Fu Panda,” “Goosebumps,” “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” and “A Minecraft Movie.”
“A Minecraft Movie” became a huge hit for Gen Z audiences, and described as Alpha’s “Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
“My screening was pure pandemonium, in a fun way,” a 50-year-old resident from Mamaroneck, New York, told The Post. “It reminded me of going to see ‘Rocky Horror.’”
“Teens, tweens, and below were hooting and hollering from the moment the lights went down to play trailers,” he continued.
“A Minecraft Movie is the Rocky Horror Picture Show for Gen Z,” one person wrote on X.
In Dec. 2025, Black starred alongside Paul Rudd and Steve Zahn in “Anaconda.”
The film centers “group of friends who are going through a midlife crisis. They decide to remake a favorite movie from their youth, but encounter unexpected events when they enter the jungle,” according to IMDb.
Black and Rudd acted in Will Ferrell’s 2004 film “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” and again for “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” in 2007.
“It really was the first time,” Rudd said, that “I really got to see [Black] in action… People are in awe, rightfully so, of him. And the greatest thing about all of that was, no matter who it was at whatever age — especially kids — Jack is such a good dude, that to see him interact with every single person was astounding.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
