It’s hard to top an Emmy-winning song like SNL’s “D**k in a Box,” but Justin Timberlake is up for the challenge. “It’s always been a dream of mine,” jokes the actor of amassing a resume of penile humor. “I’m happy that I was able to meet the mark.”
Of course, Timberlake is referring to his latest role as Jacques ‘Le Coq’ Grande–the well-endowed, Celine Dion-loving goalie of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the new comedy, The Love Guru. Hollywood.com caught up with the multi-talented Timberlake to find out more.
HW: How did you find out you had the role?
JT: [Mike Myers] called up and said “I’ve got this character and I could cast two or three other people in it, but they won’t do it the way you’ll do it, and I think you are awesome.” I said “Alright.” I thought it was one of my friends, so I thought “Alright, stop.” And he was like “No, its Mike!” and he sent me the script. I read the script and I called him back. We talked about how the character would look, I threw some ideas at him, and he threw some ideas at me, and it just really became a collaborative process.
HW: How did you prepare for this outrageous character?
JT: The only real preparation that I did was on the accent. I worked on getting that down proper and showing up to set. I just stretched it as far as I could to make it funny…I had to actually learn the words to the Celine Dion song, but forgive me, I didn’t know all of them.[PAGEBREAK]
HW: Did you injure yourself at all out on the ice?
JT: My back. I have a bad back anyway. Wearing goalie gear from head to toe, for 12 hour days, with skates? You attach the pad to the skates so one doesn’t come off without the other, then you get wet. You do one slide on the ice and it gets wet so it weighs twice as much. Not my idea of a good time.
HW: Have you been to India?
JT: I haven’t…I would love to go to India. I don’t want to go to India to work, though; I want to go to India to play. I want to sight-see. As soon as I get some time off I’m going to have to plan a trip. It’s on my list. India and Egypt, just the East is definitely on my list of places to go. [PAGEBREAK]
HW: Your co-star Jessica Alba became a new mom. What kind of mom do you think she will be?
JT: I’ve only spent a little bit of time around her, but she seems very patient. I would assume that would make a good mother, or a good parent for that matter. I just saw her a couple of weeks ago at the cast screening. She looked like she was ready to pop. She was just glowing, she looked beautiful. Honor Warren? Cool name. If they had a boy they should name it Trust. No, they shouldn’t. I’m happy for them, it’s beautiful.
HW: What made you decide to get into show business?
JT: My father, my father’s side of my family, they have always been musical. I was always around it when I was young, so it was natural for me to just be involved with it. I never knew that I would be able to be a professional at it, I just always loved it. I was a ham in school. I was just a ham. That’s all we really all are, actors and musicians or performers, we are all just hams.[PAGEBREAK]
HW: This is pretty straight forward comedy, but you have so many different characters that you have done. What drives you to play a certain type of role?
JT: Just the material. Who is going to tell the story, who is the director, who is involved?… I just recently did my first; I will call it my first protagonist role, with Jeff Bridges. It’s this film I just did called The Open Road. It’s a small film I just did, and it’s a little straighter forward of a film, kind of a dram-edy. Working with him, he’s my favorite actor I’ve worked with.
