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  1. Entertainment
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  3. Animated Movies
  4. The Incredibles

Minecraft star Jack Black reveals he turned down playing Syndrome in Pixar classic The Incredibles, and now he regrets it: "Why was I being so difficult?"

News
By George Marston published 5 January 2026

Jack Black says he regrets not joining the cast of The Incredibles, one of his favorite movies

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Syndrome firing a laser blast from his finger
(Image credit: Pixar)
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Jack Black has played his share of iconic roles ever since his 2003 breakout film School of Rock. But around that same time, the actor says he turned down a role in another iconic film that he regrets not being part of: Pixar's The Incredibles.

Black told Capital FM that he was offered the role of the film's villain, Syndrome (voiced by Jason Lee in the movie), but turned it down. However, upon seeing The Incredibles, which the actor called "one of the best movies ever made," he says he learned an important lesson about 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 explains when asked about roles that got away, before quipping "I'm gonna answer it cause I don't care."

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"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 continues. "And I said no cause 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?'"

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

Check out our picks for the best Pixar movies to find out where The Incredibles lands on the list.

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TOPICS
Disney
George Marston
George Marston
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Entertainment Writer

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011, and now I'm the Entertainment Writer at GamesRadar+. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)

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