David Cross Tells Smartless Podcast Why He Nearly Turned Down Legendary Role of Tobias Fünke on Arrested Development

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David Cross nearly turned down his scene-stealing role as Tobias Fünke on the beloved sitcom Arrested Development.

Joining former co-stars Jason Bateman and Will Arnett, as well as Sean Hayes, on the latest episode of their Smartless podcast, Cross explained why he was initially hesitant to take on the part of the lovable oddball.

“I had basically just moved to New York after nine years in LA and wanting to get out of LA,” said the actor, adding that he put all of his belongings in a U-Haul, moved across the country “and I would deal with all of the ramifications later.”

Cross continued, “I was kind of settled and I just didn’t want to go back and do a show that could potentially run for years and years and years.” The actor then told the show’s producers that he’d only sign on “if it was part time for like six episodes,” which they agreed to.

“I said I’ll do it under these conditions and then during shooting the pilot,” added Cross, “I called my then-girlfriend and was like, ‘This show is amazing. This cast is amazing. I have to do it. I’m so sorry. I have to stay and do this.’”

Arrested Development, which revolved around a dysfunctional family, originally ran for three seasons on Fox from 2003 to 2006 before getting canceled due to poor ratings. It later became a cult favorite and was revived for two additional seasons on Netflix. As Tobias Fünke, a struggling actor who spent most of the show unsuccessfully trying to book gigs, Cross provided some of the most endlessly quotable lines in the show’s history.