Jack Black says passing on the role of Syndrome in Pixar’s The Incredibles remains the biggest regret of his career. In a recent interview with Capital FM, the actor revealed he turned down the villain part because he didn’t know director Brad Bird and requested rewrites for the character.

“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,” Black said. “And I said no because I was like, ‘Uhhh, [director] Brad Bird? Never heard of him!’ [I said to him], ‘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. Will you add some dimensions to this character?’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, you’re done.’”

Reflecting on the experience, Black admitted he could have approached it differently. “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?’”

Jason Lee eventually took the role, helping make The Incredibles a defining Pixar classic. The film won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature and later inspired Incredibles 2, which earned $1.2 billion worldwide. A third installment is now in development.

Black has since carved out his own animated legacy, voicing Po in DreamWorks’ Kung Fu Panda and Bowser in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which also exceeded $1 billion at the global box office. He will return as Bowser in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, scheduled for 3 April.