John Goodman provides the original English voice of James P. Sullivan in Pixar’s Monsters, Inc.
Goodman voices Sulley as a large, blue, purple-spotted monster who works as a top scarer at Monsters, Incorporated. His performance balances Sulley’s intimidating professional image with his gentler, protective personality, especially after Boo enters the monster world.
The voice pairing is often confused because Billy Crystal, another major Hollywood actor, voices Mike Wazowski, Sulley’s one-eyed best friend and assistant. Steve Buscemi voices Randall Boggs, Sulley’s rival, while Kelsey Grammer voices the company chairman and chief executive, Henry J. Waternoose III.
Goodman returned to voice Sulley in the prequel Monsters University, which explores Sulley and Mike’s earlier student years. The two films therefore share the same central voice partnership, even though the prequel takes place before their careers at Monsters, Incorporated.