Justin Timberlake graces the cover of GQ‘s 18th annual Men of the Year issue — but he’s not the only one. Timberlake joins Matthew McConaughey, Kendrick Lamar, Will Ferrell and the late James Gandolfini, who also are named Men of the Year. Each gent has their own separate cover.
Here’s a few highlights from his interview:
On the negative response to his movie Runner, Runner:
“The movie didn’t do well at the box office, so I should quit? Hold on a second. If I was somebody else, you wouldn’t have said that. I have the number one album this week, and I shouldn’t have released it? Come on, man. You sound like a dickhead…. It just shocked me because, like, you’re trade magazines.None of your opinions count. And by the way, none of you can do it.”
On growing up in Memphis & responding to his critics:
“It’s a struggling city with a defeatist attitude. I’m from this town, and I grew up with a little bit of a chip on my shoulder, so sometimes I find it funny that I’ve been able to acquire the patience it takes to be kind to people in our business. Because sometimes I just want to f–king kill everybody.”
On his upcoming role in Coen brothers’ film, Inside Llewyn Davis:
“You do a Coens movie and secretly you’re like, ‘All I want to do is make people laugh in this movie. If I can make people laugh in this movie, then I don’t care. Whatever else happens, happens.’ “
On not believing he is a cool guy:
“Listen, I’m not cool… Being cool is about keeping your blood pressure steady. So no. Don’t be cool. Be passionate. Be dedicated. Be tenacious. Be uncompromising. Be pissed. Be happy. Be sad…. I’ve made a career out of doing things that I should not be doing. I wasn’t cool about it. Because being cool would have meant I passed up on those opportunities. If you do that, it’s because you’re afraid. And what are you afraid of? You know?”
GQ‘s annual Men on of the Year issue hits newsstands on November 19th.
