El crítico Scott Feinberg entrevista a Justin Timberlake

Scott Feinberg, crítico en la industria del cine y analista de la temporada de premios en los Estados Unidos, entrevistó a Justin Timberlake semanas después de conocerlo en la fiesta que siguió al preestreno mundial de «The Social Network» en el Harvard Club, el 24 de septiembre.

La entrevista telefónica, cuya duración prevista era de 20 minutos, terminó alargándose durante otros 25 debido a la insistencia del actor en dar unas concienzudas respuestas a las preguntas acerca de cada aspecto de su vida, carrera y especialmente de la película que ha cambiado su modo de ver el mundo del cine.

Download: Scott Feinberg Podcast (24 de noviembre, 2010)

1. His early moviegoing experiences/favorites
2. His father’s voice («In a lot of ways I think he’s a way better singer than I was”)
3. The things he learned and most enjoyed while working on the Disney Channel’s «The All New Mickey Mouse Club” (1989-1995), his first professional acting job, on which he appeared opposite the likes of Christina Aguilera, Ryan Gosling, Keri Russell, and Britney Spears from the age of 12 to 14 (1993-1995)
4. Comparing/contrasting the worlds of music (in which one gets «instant-feedback” from an audience) and film («more of a methodical process”)
5. The way in which ‘N Sync came about («A month before… my mom and I had decided that I was going to go to L.A. for pilot season and try to get on a sitcom”), what that time in his life was like («I don’t remember a lot of it”), and how it gave way to his solo career («The music that I responded to wasn’t necessarily for everybody that was a part of that project… and there were some other things that happened with the group”)
6. Why it has been four years since he has put out a solo album — because something has turned him off about the music industry or because something has turned him on about the film industry?
7. How he first heard about «The Social Network” («It was like, ‘Don’t even tell yourself that you have the script!’”), why he had no doubt he wanted to be involved (a longtime admirer of both screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and director Fincher ), and what he had to do to win the part (numerous auditions)
8. The true story of how he and Parker met prior to the making of the film
9. How he prepared for the part (he got «a glimmer” of what Parker was about from footage of him on YouTube, but emphasizes that «at no time ever did I consider, sort of, impersonating” the way parker actually looks or acts — instead, the script, more than anything else, informed his performance)
10. What makes the film so important and powerful («It’s found a way to [offer] some sort of commentary on who we are as young people right now«)
11. The notion of Sean pursuing Mark like an animal pursuing prey (the first time he sees Facebook, on his hookup’s computer, he says, «I’m gonna find you, Mark Zuckerberg”; then, once he does, and they meet for dinner along with Eduardo and Christy, he seems to be wooing him by telling him what he wants to hear; and then he just happens to show up outside of his house in California following the chimney incident–”I thought I was gonna get away with that” without people noticing, Timberlake laughs, noting that many people have compared his character to the Devil)
12. The brilliance of both Mark and Sean («For [the first] hour straight, Mark Zuckerberg is looked at as the most brilliant person in the room; and for the second hour of the movie, you can’t even keep up with Sean Parker”), their shared fears/insecurities/motivations («These dudes just want to be cool” — a girl who got away largely drove Mark to create Facebook and Sean to create Napster — so «they’ve created their own world where they are king”), and a notable absence in both of their lives (even during such momentous and challenging times for both young men, their parents and families are never seen, let alone mentioned)
13. The carefully-considered posture and movement that he brought to the character of Sean («I had a very specific movement for the character… the performance in the movie is a character giving a performance… Mark invented Facebook, and Sean invented Sean Parker… and so I felt like every movement should have motive”)
14. How he sometimes stayed in part even when the cameras weren’t rolling («If Jesse would start speaking, I would be so into what Jesse was saying, and if Andrew had something to add to it, I would kind of brush it off”)
15. The musicality of the movie’s beat and pacing, and whether he attributes it more to Fincher, a guy who formerly directed music videos (a medium familiar to Timberlake, as well), or Sorkin, who simply writes that way («A million dollars is cool. You know what’s cooler? A billion dollars.”)
16. The eery parallels between the awards candidacy of Timberlake and that of another young singer-actor whom he has long admired, Frank Sinatra, who in 1953 played a major supporting role (dramatic/non-singing) in a movie («From Here to Eternity») that was critically acclaimed, made a fortune at the box-office, and was a major Oscar contender, and who personally went on to receive a nomination for — and win — the best supporting actor Oscar («If you could see my hands right now, they’re literally sweating”) — not to mention numerous similar examples like Bing Crosby, who won the best actor Oscar for «Going My Way” (1944); Barbra Streisand, who co-won the best actress Oscar for «Funny Girl” (1968); Liza Minnelli, who won the best actress Oscar for «Cabaret” (1972); Cher, who won the best actress Oscar for «Moonstruck” (1987); and Jennifer Hudson, who won the best supporting actress Oscar for «Dreamgirls” (2006) — «If you could see my hands, they’re sweating… It’s pretty cool, man… I feel like such a fan of everyone that you mentioned that to be even mentioned in the same sentence seems like such an honor”