The Big Picture

• 'Monsters at Work' Season 2 introduces new characters while keeping the familiar ones, like Mike and Sulley, at the forefront.
• Billy Crystal discusses the enduring appeal of Mike Wazowski, his favorite character that he's played, first introduced in 'Monsters, Inc.,' and shares insights on voicing him for nearly 25 years.
• Crystal teases why he's so passionate about his upcoming Apple TV+ series 'Before' and his desire to reunite on-screen with Jake Gyllenhaal.

Inspired by the Disney and Pixar movie Monsters, Inc., the animated series Monsters at Work follows Tylor Tuskmon (voiced by Ben Feldman), a monster who dreams of being a Scarer at a time when the city of Monstropolis is shifting its focus to children’s laughter. In Season 2, Tylor must decide whether to continue his journey as a Jokester alongside his idols Mike Wazowski (voiced by Billy Crystal) and James P. “Sulley” Sullivan (voiced by John Goodman) or be drawn in by an offer from Johnny J. Worthington III (voiced by Nathan Fillion) and FearCo.

Monsters, Inc. was first released in 2001, introducing the world to the dynamic friendship duo of Mike and Sulley. The pairing of the wisecracking short, green cyclops and the lovable, furry blue giant was so endearing that it sparked a Monsters Universe that continued with Monsters University and the TV series Monsters at Work. While the characters still look and feel familiar, fans have been able to take the journey with the characters they love and meet new characters along the way, watching them grow and find where they truly belong.

Inching ever closer to 25 years since he first brought Mike Wazowski to life for audiences, Crystal still holds the character near and dear to his heart. During this one-on-one with Collider, he talked about what he’s always loved about the little green guy, finding that initial friendship while working and collaborating with Goodman, how voicing the character always brings something new while also feeling like catching up with an old friend, and what makes Season 2 of Monsters at Work special. He also discussed some of the standout moments in his longtime acting career, why he’s so passionate about making the upcoming TV series Before for Apple TV+, and wanting to reunite on film with Jake Gyllenhaal, who played his son in City Slickers.

Billy Crystal Has Always Loved His 'Monsters' Universe Character Mike Wazowski

Collider: I’ve always had a soft spot for Mike Wazowski. I’m not fully sure why, but there’s just something charming about him and his one eye.

BILLY CRYSTAL: There’s something about his heart that I’ve always loved. From the time that John Lasseter came over and pitched the concept for Monsters, Inc. and showed me the initial statue of him, I just got him. People who love him, love him because of his drive. He’s funny, but he’s not as funny as he thinks. He’s a survivor. He just constantly believes that things are gonna work out. Sometimes they do, and most of the time they don’t for him, but I think he’s very appealing that way. That’s why I love playing him. The quality of this show is beautiful. The only downside is that it takes a long time to get out to the public. It’s a long waiting period to see what’s gonna happen next with all of these wonderful new characters. It’s terrific how they’re blending in Sulley and Mike and Roz and all the others with the new breed that’s coming in.

How does it feel to still be bringing this character to life? When you originally signed on to voice this character, did you think there would be a life in these characters and in this world, or are you surprised that you’re still voicing him close to 25 years later?

CRYSTAL: That’s a surprise, yeah. When John [Goodman] and I were able to work together on the first movie and record together, I knew it was something special. The concept of the first movie was so amazing to me. But here we are, and he’s still part of my life and part of the audience’s lives. What’s really interesting is that the first movie was 23 or 24 years ago, and the parents of the kids who are watching now fell in love with Monsters, Inc. then. Now, they can sit together and Mike is like an old friend and Sulley is like an old friend. There’s a beauty in that. I’m very excited and satisfied that, all these years later, we’ve done this and maybe, hopefully, we can do more.

You’ve previously said that Mike Wazowski is your favorite character that you’ve ever played, and you’ve played some pretty great characters. What gives him that special spot for you? What is it about him that’s continued to hold that position?

CRYSTAL: I just love his spirit. He’s not defeated, ever, even when things are gloomy. He’ll see a corner of his eye on the cover of a magazine or the top of his head on TV and be like, “Yeah, I’m there!” He just sees the bright side of things. Maybe because of that one big eye, he sees more than everyone else sees with two, or 10, or 12, the way some of those characters are. I love his belief in himself.

Billy Crystal and John Goodman Had the Freedom To Play and Find Their 'Monsters' Dynamic

Had you ever hesitated or considered not voicing the character, in the early days? Did they show you this little green dude with one eye and what your first reaction, “What am I supposed to do with that?,” or did you always feel like this was something you had to do?

CRYSTAL: When John [Lasseter] came by and said, “I’ve got something I want you to think about,” he told me the story. And then, he brought out this case with this little guy, and the first thing I said was, “Oh, he’s CBS walking. Look at him.” I just got it right away. And then, when I heard that John [Goodman] was gonna play Sulley, I thought he would be a really great partner in this. I think Monsters, Inc. was the second or third movie in Pixar’s history, so it was so new. It was exciting. I loved the heart of that story, being the kid who, at times, had night fears and to have them interpreted this way, that these were the spirits behind what scared kids, and that they really had no reason to be scared. I thought it was beautiful.

And from the beginning, John [Lasseter] gave us great leeway in helping to interpret the characters and find new things in them. I remember the first day, John [Goodman] had already laid tracks down. When I came in, I went, “This isn’t right. This gives me one choice in how to react because he’s already laid the groundwork. Can’t we work together?” And they said, “Well, all right. We haven’t really done that. Tim [Allen] and Tom [Hanks] didn’t work together on Toy Story, and that was great.” I said, “Yeah, that’s awesome. But I know John, and we’ll find stuff that’s not on the page.” That was such a big attraction to doing it, and that became great. We set the groundwork in the first movie for their relationship beautifully and so much of that wasn’t on the page. It was just us being able to play together in the studio.

Do you still get to record together, or do you have to do it all separately now?

CRYSTAL: Most of this was recorded during COVID, so it was very hard. And then, I was in New York working on Broadway, so I could only do stuff on Mondays and John was off on the HBO series (The Righteous Gemstones) that he was filming. Maybe we had one session together. Otherwise, we did it all separately. All the actors are so great and they know what they’re doing. They’re all wonderfully funny people. The total voice representation of the cast is fantastic.

What do you remember about the first time you recorded for Mike? Does it feel the same now, or does it feel any different?

CRYSTAL: It feels totally the same because Mike hasn’t aged. I have, but he hasn’t. I have to make sure the pitch of my voice is up high because it’s getting lower. It all feels the same. It’s always joyous. It’s just different people to react to and new people in the scripts. Otherwise, it’s Monsters business as usual.

When you’re doing a voice performance for a character like this, that you’re getting to revisit at different points, but he’s animated so he doesn’t change or age unless he’s drawn that way. Do you feel like you’re always discovering something new and different with him, or does it feel like you’re revisiting and catching up with an old friend?

CRYSTAL: It’s a little bit of both because he’s got different responsibilities now. Now he’s the head of the laugh floor. Last season, he had his comedy class and that didn’t work out well. Now he’s in charge, so it’s the same, but a little different in who I react to now. I hope if we get to do more, we can do it together because that would be great.

Even Though Season 2 of 'Monsters at Work' Introduces New Characters, Mike and Sulley Are Still the Heartbeat

I love this show because it really does bring so many of the monsters from this world together and gives us little glimpses into how they’re doing and what they’re up to. What did you most enjoy about getting to do Season 2 and what do you think fans will enjoy?

CRYSTAL: There are new characters they haven’t seen yet, and there are so many of them. They’re all great and so incredibly crafted. You’re watching it at home, but it might as well be on the big screen. It’s so wonderfully produced. They’ll get to know all these new characters, which is great because it’s reflective of life. New people come in and out of your life all the time. For those who feel Mike and Sulley are the heartbeat of the Monster world, we’re there and that’s a very warm, good feeling for all of us.

Acting is a profession where you can grow up watching actors that you become a fan of, and then you become an actor yourself and you find yourself in scenes with some of those same actors. I’m sure that there are many actors who get excited about working with you, but what’s the first time you remember walking onto a set to share a scene with an actor you’d been a fan of and that you’d really admired, and what was that like?

CRYSTAL: The one that takes your breath away in the beginning, where you say, “All right, I’m really doing this,” was Robert De Niro in Analyze This. We had worked together to get the script right and rehearsed just a little bit. But when you come to the first day of shooting, where you’re really gonna act with him, it takes your breath away. And then, you’ve just gotta calm down and go, “Hey, you’re good, too, so just hold your ground and be the character.” We ended up having, and still do, a great acting relationship and have been great friends for all these years. I did a movie called America’s Sweethearts and Alan Arkin was in it, and he’s a particular hero for me because his range of playing comedy and drama and scary and quirky is amazing. He just did a little bit with us, but that was really a wonderful experience, just to get to exchange with him and be with him for a day. That was wonderful. With the first movie that I directed, Mr. Saturday Night, Jerry Lewis came in to do a cameo, playing himself, for one day. That was thrilling, to be able to say, “Can you do it this way?” That was great.

Billy Crystal is Excited For Audiences To See His Upcoming Apple TV+ Series 'Before'

Why did you want to be a part of Before? What reeled you in and made you want to do an Apple TV+ series and be an executive producer on it? What was it about that project?

CRYSTAL: I’m one of the creators of it. It was a notion that Eric Roth and I had been trying to solve. Originally, it was this relationship with a very old man who was telling a nurse’s aide a list of people that he wanted to see, and it was all these stories that were coming out of his past. It was almost like a romance novel about what this character’s life was. We couldn’t quite crack the story, but then I was given this book, called Life Before Life, that’s a really fascinating book about kids with past life experience. When I was in junior high, I loved a book called The Search For Bridey Murphy, which is the story of a young woman, 28 years old, who, when hypnotized, talked about her life in Ireland, 200 years before, and I always thought that was interesting. We were in the writers’ room going, “Wait a second, what if the person is six or seven years old, has the same stories?” And then, we realized we were onto something.

Eric brought in Sarah Thorp, who’s our showrunner and a brilliant writer. She started working with us and began this process of this child psychiatrist, who I play, treating this young boy who is traumatized by something. I love this project. It was probably the most fascinating acting experience I’ve ever had. It’s 10 episodes. It was mentally exhausting to play this guy in pursuit of the truth about this kid, who’s a wonderful actor. His name is Jacobi Jupe, and he’s really one of the best natural actors I’ve ever worked with at any age, and he’s 10. He’s phenomenal. I loved being in this dark world, and I want keep stretching and growing and doing things I’ve never done before.

Jake Gyllenhaal’s first acting role was playing your son in City Slickers. Have you gotten on the phone with him, at any point over the years, to do a sequel with him, or to do some other movie together?

CRYSTAL: Jake and I are good friends. In a way, I found him for the movie. We were family friends. I was friendly with his mom and dad. He was this precocious eight or 10-year-old who loved to sing scores from Broadway musicals. We lived near each other in New York, and I told him, “Remember that one time you took a paper plate, cut out the eye, cut it in half, used two rubber bands, and you sang the score of The Phantom of the Opera with that on your face?” And he laughed and said, “Oh, my God, I did.” I would love to work with him on anything. He’s such a good actor, and really just a great kid and a great young man.

Monsters at Work is available to stream on Disney+. Check out the trailer:

Watch on Disney+