Toy Story: Billy Crystal's Biggest Regret Was Turning Down the Pixar Movie

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Billy Crystal's Biggest Acting Regret Is Turning Down This Film

Billy Crystal has an established film CV with roles from Monsters, Inc. to The Princess Bride, but which role does he most regret turning down?

Who would have thought Billy Crystal's biggest acting regret would be turning down an animated film? Starting as both a sitcom star and frequent Saturday Night Live host, Crystal gained traction in the film industry in the 1980s. The 74-year-old actor particularly rose to prominence for his lead role as Harry Burns alongside Meg Ryan in the 1988 rom-com When Harry Met Sally, but starred as Miracle Max in The Princess Bride the year before.

In addition to live-action films, Crystal lent his voice to Mike Wazowski in the Monsters, Inc. franchise, starting with the first film in 2001. However, the City Slickers actor could have starred in Toy Story, Pixar's first feature-length film, six years before Monsters, Inc. was released. Crystal revealed his biggest career regret was turning down the 1995 film.

Crystal spoke to Yahoo! Entertainment to express his disappointment in himself after turning down Toy Story. "I'm the schmuck who turned down Toy Story," the actor confessed. John Lasseter, who directed many Pixar flicks like Toy Story and Cars, believed Crystal was the right choice to voice Buzz Lightyear. However, the actor couldn't see himself in the film, so he turned it down.

Since Crystal didn't hop onboard, the casting team turned to Home Improvement star Tim Allen for the role. Despite Allen's recurring role in the Toy Story franchise, The Santa Clause actor did not return to voice Buzz in the toy's origin story Lightyear. Instead, the casting team hired Captain America's Chris Evans -- a decision Tom Hanks, Woody's voice actor, didn't understand. "We needed a new voice for Buzz," producer Galyn Susman said. "He needed to have a nice, rich sound, able to be both dramatic and comedic, and most importantly, he needed to be heroic without coming off as arrogant or dense."

Despite turning down the role, Crystal had the opportunity to watch what his Buzz could have been. Lasseter fittingly took dialogue from When Harry Met Sally and included it in a Toy Story scene. "So it's Buzz Lightyear doing those lines, and then at the 'stupid wagon-wheel coffee table' it cut wide and little Buzz is standing under a big stupid wagon wheel coffee table," Crystal recalled.

Even if Crystal believes he made a big mistake turning down Toy Story, the actor's career still prospered. He eventually entered the Pixar spotlight for his performance as Mike Wazowski, Sully's closest friend and assistant, in Monsters, Inc. Crystal returned to reprise one of his favorite characters in the 2013 prequel Monsters University. The iconic one-eyed character even had his own short, Mike's New Car, and returned for the spinoff television series Monsters at Work.

In addition to Crystal's longtime role as Mike, Crystal also lent his voice to Calcifer in the English version of Hayao Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle. Since turning down Toy Story, the 74-year-old actor has done pretty well for himself, including hosting the Academy Awards nine times. In 2022, the Critics Choice Awards granted him the prestigious honor of the Lifetime Achievement Award.