Jack Black admits he passed on the role of Syndrome in The Incredibles and now wishes he hadn’t: “What was I thinking?”

Jack Black has had his fair share of memorable roles since his breakout in the 2003 film School of Rock. However, he recently revealed that he turned down a part in another beloved film that he now wishes he had accepted: Pixar’s The Incredibles.

In a conversation, Black shared that he was offered the role of Syndrome, the film’s antagonist (voiced by Jason Lee), but ultimately declined. After watching The Incredibles, which he described as “one of the best movies ever made,” he realized he had missed out on a significant opportunity in Hollywood.

“It’s a tricky question because then, the person who got the role, they look like shit. ‘Oh, I was the second choice,'” Black remarked when discussing missed roles, adding humorously, “I’m gonna answer it cause I don’t care.”

“I was offered – and I do regret saying no – I was offered Syndrome in that fantastic movie The Incredibles, one of my favorites of all time, by the way,” he continued. “And I said no because I was like, ‘Uh, Brad Bird? Never heard of him. The character that you’re offering me is a villain, but he’s kind of one-dimensional. I’m interested, but I’d like to see a re-write. Will you add some dimension to the character?’ And he was like, ‘You’re done, get out of here.’ I learned a valuable lesson because then the movie came out and it was one of the best movies ever made. And I was like, ‘Why was I being so difficult?'”

Currently, Jack Black is starring in Anaconda, a satirical remake of the cult classic 1997 horror film about deadly snakes.