Billy Crystal’s Biggest Regret Is Turning Down Toy Story Buzz Lightyear Role

Billy Crystal recently admitted that he still regrets turning down the opportunity to voice Buzz Lightyear in the original Toy Story. While Crystal’s career has been going just fine ever since, there is no denying the cultural impact of Pixar’s first feature-length film. Not to mention all the opportunities for sequels and spin-offs that Crystal missed out on.

The original Toy Story hit theaters on November 19, 1995 and has been heralded as one of the best animated films ever made. To this day, the film still holds onto a rare 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is beloved by generations of moviegoers. It is no surprise the film spawned 3 sequels, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3, and Toy Story 4, all of which have been deemed critical and commercial successes.

Recently, while speaking to Yahoo Entertainment, Crystal revealed that his biggest regret is turning down the Buzz Lightyear role in Toy Story. As he readily states, “I’m the schmuck who turned down Toy Story.” He explains that he felt he was not right for the part, perhaps thinking the character’s larger than life persona and ego would not match the characters he usually played. In later years, he realized his mistake when he was shown test footage that John Lasseter had done when deciding who they wanted to voice the character. Read what Crystal said below:

“They took dialogue from a scene in When Harry Met Sally when I get mad at all of them … [and I say] ‘Someday you’ll go 15 rounds over who is going to get this stupid wagon-wheel coffee table.’ 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. And then when he goes, ‘I was being nice,’ the visor from his helmet closed. I went, ‘You know what? I was wrong.‘”

Fortunately for Crystal, Pixar had not forgotten about him. Six years later when casting for the role of Mike Wazowski in Monster’s Inc., Lasseter gave the star another call. Crystal recalled the day, saying, “I’m in my office … and John Lasseter’s on the phone. I said, ‘All right listen: Whatever it is, yes!’” And while Crystal’s Wazwoski has become a beloved character in his own right, fans cannot help but wonder what Toy Story would have been like with the beloved film icon voicing the heroic Space Ranger.

With Pixar’s upcoming Lightyear film, the award-winning studio has found yet another way to keep the legacy of Toy Story alive. For Crystal, it’s likely yet another reminder of his past decision and what he missed out on. However, for decades of audiences, Tim Allen made for an ideal Buzz Lightyear all these years, and it is hard to image the character without that iconic voice. It will be interesting to hear the voice Chris Evans will use in Lightyear, and whether it will harken back to the original in any way.

SOURCE: Yahoo Entertainment

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Nicholas Graff
(101 Articles Published)

Nick Graff is a writer for Screen Rant with a passion for all things Star Wars and Marvel (especially Spider-Man). Being an LA native, Nick grew up surrounded by the entertainment industry which has always fascinated him. After spending the past decade as a film editor for Disney, he is excited to share his perspective on the current media landscape.

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When not writing, Nick also enjoys working on his own comics, practicing his Dungeon Master skills, and playing the latest Legend of Zelda game Nintendo has released.

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