Film interview Shrek the Third: Justin Timberlake
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We talk to Justin Timberlake about appearing in Shrek The Third, reverting back to his childhood and mixing music with movies…
Your character, Artie, is a bit of a loner in Shrek The Third. Were you like that at school?
Justin Timblerlake: I grew up in Tennessee where you either play football or you don’t do anything at all. So I guess you could say I was a bit of loner, being interested in music.
But Artie gets the better of his bullies in the movie – is that something you can relate to?
Justin: What are you trying to insinuate? I was so cool [at school]. No, it was the equivalent to right now. Like I said before, in Tennessee it was “football or die”! I was on a television show when I was in middle school, and I’d work for six months out of the year, then I’d come back. I was just a bit of an outcast but I wasn’t bullied too much, thank God.
What was it like acting in a booth with some headphones?
Justin: The only thing I can really equate this to is when you’re seven or eight years old, and you’re standing alone in your back yard, and you have a stick, and to you it’s a huge sword and you really are King Arthur. Obviously, I worked a lot with Chris [Miller, director] because we all worked separately to do the voices.
Was it easy to imagine Artie?
Justin: Well, when I was first offered the part, I got to see what Artie looked like. And I also had the first two movies to work off. But it’s a fantastical experience because anything can happen in the Shrek world. So you sort of imagine it happening and just go for it.
You’ve had good reviews for other movies [Alpha Dog and Black Snake Moan] – do you think one day you may have to choose between music and film?
Justin: It’s been expensive buying those reviews, so I don’t know how much longer I can hold that up! [Laughs] Thank God for music! I would love to do a lot more film, and next year I’m going to focus a lot more on it. I’ll be touring until the end of this year, and taking the circus as far as I can.
Where do you find time for writing music?
Justin: There are planes and tour buses... Actually, I don’t know. I’ll have to work that one out.
Interview: Rob Carnevale Photo: Paramount
