Billy Crystal has admitted he regrets turning down the role of Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story films.
The actor, 76, best known for his role in the 1989 romcom When Harry Met Sally, told The Graham Norton Show: “I was the dope that turned it down, but it wasn’t about the character, it was a business thing, and my agent said not to do it, so I passed.
“Then it comes out and it is genius.”
The star, who went on to voice Mike Wazowski in Monsters, Inc, another successful Pixar and Disney animation, continued: “Two years later when the producers of Toy Story first mentioned Monsters, Inc, I said, ‘Whatever it is, say yes.’
“They convinced me by showing me a screen test they had done of me as Buzz Lightyear in the scene from When Harry Met Sally where I am yelling about a wagon wheel coffee table. They even had a little Buzz under the table. It was astonishing, and if I had seen that I would definitely have done Toy Story.”
In the end, Buzz Lightyear was voiced by actor and comedian Tim Allen, instead.
Crystal is currently promoting his new Apple TV+ series Before, in which he plays Eli, a child psychiatrist who, after losing his wife, Lynn (Judith Light), encounters a troubled young boy, Noah (Jacobi Jupe), who seems to have a haunting connection to Eli’s past. As Eli attempts to help Noah, their mysterious bond deepens.
The series has received mixed reviews, with The Guardian awarding it four stars but IndieWire deeming it “bizarrely bad”.
Crystal was joined on The Graham Norton Show, which will air tonight, by Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville, Match Point actor Emily Mortimer, and US singer Pharrell Williams, who discusses an animated story of his life called Piece By Piece, which depicts him as a lego character.
The 2020 Mercury Prize winner Michael Kiwanuka also performs live in the studio.
The Graham Norton Show airs on BBC One, Friday 1 November at 10.40pm and is also available on BBC iPlayer.
Additional reporting by Press Association
