Justin Timberlake on The Love Guru

GS: Why did you decide to take the role of Jacques Grande?
JT: Mike [Myers] definitely had something to do with this. My experience with this film was Mike called me and said "I want you to play the villain in this movie I’m working on. It’s a character I’ve been work-shopping called The Love Guru. I don’t want to say anymore, just read the script." So I read the script and it was too funny to pass up and it’s Mike! If you’re gonna do a comedy, do it with the best. To get to work with him, you just walk in saying, "Don’t let Mike down.”

GS: When you decide to do a role, what factors into your decision making process? Is it who you’ll be working with, the way the industry will perceive you, what you’ll be able to learn…
JT: It’s about the material and who’s gonna be telling the story, who’s directing it, because there’s good material that gets misinterpreted sometimes. I’ve been a product of that. The first film I ever did [2005's Edison] was a product of that. But it’s not based on what people are going to perceive it as because that’ll just drive you insane.

GS: You already have your phenomenal singing career, where does acting fit?
JT: It’s a huge passion of mine. I was having a conversation with my stepdad the other day and he said to me, "It’s so funny you eventually got into film." And I said, "What do you mean.' And he reminded me, and I’d totally forgotten about this, I got a phone call when I was 14 saying, 'There’s somebody down in Orlando and a record company, BMG in Europe, that’ll sign [N’Sync]!" and I went. But two weeks before that the plan was we were going to drive to LA for pilot season, so I guess everything leads out the way it’s supposed to. It sounds so cliché but I guess that it does.

It’s always been something I was very serious about. I just think the opportunities are starting to come in the right way. I’ve wanted to do it for a while, but you just get sent the worst scripts immediately based on the fact that you’re popular with a certain demographic. And that was when I was a teenager, and I just constantly passed because I didn’t like the material.

GS: Everyone in the cast and crew, including Mike Myers, says you’re the most talented human being they’ve ever seen. Is there anything you're bad at?
JT: (After several moments of thought) Connect Four. I’m really not good at Connect Four. I think my vision is starting to go.