Billy Crystal Reveals the 'Most Satisfying' Part He’s Ever Played (Exclusive)

Billy Crystal's latest role is one that fans haven't seen him in  before . The award-winning actor, known for his comedic genius, stars in Apple TV+'s new psychological thriller  Before . 

The show, executive produced by Crystal, follows his character, Dr. Eli Adler, a child psychiatrist, who, after losing his wife meets a young, troubled boy with seemingly a connection to his past.  

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"It wasn't like a decision of, 'I'm gonna do this because it's different,'" Crystal told Parade of his role. "No, I wanted to do it because it was good and it was special."

"It's one of the most satisfying, if not the most satisfying part I've ever had to play because it was so demanding and so fulfilling," the Disney Legend added. "When we would finish each episode, or sometimes each scene or moment, I'd say to myself, 'I'm so thankful I'm in this thing.'"

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The edge-of-your-seat series—which premiered with the first two episodes on Oct. 25—was a chance for Crystal to push the boundaries of his craft. "I've always tried to do different things," the When Harry Met Sally star shared, "and this felt like every day saying, 'Can I do this?'"

While his role in Before  was both mentally and physically demanding, Crystal said, "I wouldn't trade this experience for anything that I've ever done."

Continue reading for more from Parade 's exclusive interview with entertainment icon Billy Crystal.

You've been known for your comedic roles throughout your career. What drew you to a psychological thriller like Before ?
Well, I was one of the creators of the show, but I didn't set out to put myself in it. The show had another form at the time. It was about a 100-year-old man, and sort of an aide that he was dealing with, gerontologists, I guess you'd call it, and we couldn't crack the story of what it would become. And then we were talking about kids who present with past lives, and that was interesting. And so one day in a writing meeting, I said to my partner Eric Roth, who was an Academy Award-winning screenwriter for Forrest Gump , "What if he's not 100? What if he's 8, but he has these memories and they're unexplained?" And we went, "Ooh , that's something special." 

Then he suggested I meet Sarah Thorp, who I did not know and did not know her work. And Sarah came in with that initial idea, and 10 days [later], came back with "Here's what I think it is and could be." And as she was describing Eli and this journey that he would be on, a brilliant pediatric psychiatrist who deals with science and the facts is now thrown out of his orbit by this young kid who just shows up and somehow gets the feeling they know each other. How would that happen? He's not a patient. I never saw him before, but somehow we're linked, and he knows stuff about me. So it was pretty spectacular how she was talking about it and a surreal quality of it, and mourning the suicide of his wife. But she's around him and are they all linked and how does it work? And in the middle of it, I said, "I'll play him. I got it. I'll play him."

I loved it because of the humanity of it and the chance to inhabit somebody that I didn't understand in one way, but understood in another way. And it just seemed like the natural thing to do. It wasn't like a decision of, "I'm gonna do this because it's different." I wanted to do it because it was good and it was special. It's one of the most satisfying, if not the most satisfying part I've ever had to play because it was so demanding and so fulfilling. When we would finish each episode, or sometimes each scene or moment, I'd say to myself, "I'm so thankful I'm in this thing."

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Do you feel like Before  gave you the opportunity to push new boundaries in acting for you?
That's what you do. That's what you want to do. I've always tried to do different things. My first sort of big job was playing a gay character [Jodie Dallas] on a show in 1977 on Soap that no one had ever done before on television, a regular character. So I've always kind of [stretched] and my Broadway show wasn't just funny,  700 Sundays . It was personal. It was poignant. It was honest, dealing with grief. I call it the Rumpelstiltskin of it all, of taking all that is straw in your life and turning it into gold. So I've always tried to do different things, and this felt like every day saying, "Can I do this?" It was mentally demanding, playing someone losing his mind over time, and physically demanding. But I wouldn't trade this experience for anything that I've ever done. 

Was it difficult balancing the gravity of the show with your usual style of humor?I sort of welcomed it. It was interesting for the crew who I'd never worked with and who I now really cherish, because they were so good. I've been around for a while, and then you're on a set with them, and they're looking at you, and they're thinking, "I did this with him," or "I saw that with him." It was as exciting for them as it was for me, I think. I hope. 

What excites you the most about projects like Before at this stage in your career?
It's just so good, I think. I don't know if "refreshing" is the right word. But it's just so stimulating to see the response to it. All the people that have now seen some or all of the show going, "This is really good. This is really scary," or whatever the reaction is, really fantastic to experience.

Do you foresee more dramatic projects in the future, or do you feel drawn to a comedy?
You know what? They're all dramatic. In [ When Harry Met Sally ] some of the best moments, the New Year's Eve speech is a dramatic moment. Comedy and drama live in the same neighborhood, right next door to each other. It's just how people react to moments that separate the comedy and the drama. I don't know, I didn't feel much difference, except I just kept pushing them, all of our five directors and writers. "More, different. How about if we did this?" Sometimes on the set, we would finish a thing, whether I'm doing something to my body, or someone's doing something to my body, I would just laugh and go, "I am so grateful that I'm in this."

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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