In 2016, kids of the 1980s and 1990s were reintroduced to the world of Trolls. This time, not in the form of popular dolls, but in the form of characters in a film! The film was family-friendly, so parents were able to experience the magic of Trolls with their kids.
The Dreamworks Animation film grossed 346 million dollars worldwide and revealed a magical singing duo, Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake.
The film had a stellar soundtrack, masterminded in part by Justin Timberlake in his role as Executive Producer of Music. The soundtrack was nominated for numerous awards, including a Grammy and a Hollywood Film Award. Justin’s talents, alongside a gifted group of voice actors, made the film a hit.
As the team involved with Trolls promoted the film, one of the film's themes, friendship, was reinforced by the bond between the film's stars, Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake. Their closeness showed in interviews, on the red carpet, and through their social media posts.
The two are excited to be working together again, as they gear up for the April 17, 2020 release of the sequel, which is called Trolls World Tour. Today, let’s explore 15 sweet facts about Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake's friendship, as they get ready to make more memories and share more love this spring.
15 The Secret Casting Call That Brought Them Together
Anna was signed on to Trolls early on, and it took a while before producers revealed who would be playing Branch alongside her Princess Poppy.
E! News reports that Kendrick said: “I remember when they brought Justin on, there was some kind of weird degree of, like, secrecy happening and I was like, 'What's happening together? Everybody's acting weird today, and then they were like, 'Um, so we just wanted to tell you that we're bringing on Justin Timberlake to work on the music.'"
Kendrick joked, "They were telling me as though they were like, 'Is that OK with you? Is that going to be OK for you?'" she continued. "And I was like, 'Yeah, I mean, that's OK.' But I was like, 'Should I act like I'm having a hard time with this so that I can, like, ask for something later?”
14 The Pop Prince & Princess
It’s always exciting for anyone when they get to work with someone they’re a fan of, on a project that's going to challenge them. Justin said, “I had a little bit of an advantage of being excited to work with her on this and then getting to work on all the music too was very exciting for me."
While talking about his hit song, "Can’t Stop The Feeling", from the film, Timberlake said, “The song was written specifically for the movie. I mean, it's in the movie. It's not like an end credits song. I think it definitely sort of encapsulates...part of the message of what our movie is."
13 Deemed #FriendshipGoals At Cannes
Friends like to share photos of their good times with besties. This is why social media lit up when Justin and Anna began posting plenty of photos of their promotional trip to the Cannes Film Festival - let’s be honest, we couldn’t get enough. We’re certain other celebs experienced some FOMO, as talk about the festival was often focused on the pair and their #FriendshipGoals.
12 The Friends Who Laugh Together
If you can’t laugh with your friends, then what good are they? When Justin and Anna were invited to light the London Eye as a part of the promotional tour for Trolls, there was a technical glitch and it wouldn’t light. Instead of getting frustrated, the duo made a big production of it, by dramatically pressing the button again and again...and then giggling together.
11 Fans Want An Album
During the introduction for their performance of "True Colors" at Cannes (this song is featured in Trolls), Anna affectionately called their singing duo “Anna and Garfunkel”. No matter what they’d call any future projects featuring both of their vocal talents, people would be lining up to listen.
Maybe their work on the Trolls sequel will provide the inspiration they need to record an album of cover songs or originals. We don’t care how it happens...just make it happen!
10 The Times Timberlake Isn't A Superstar
Dancing, singing, and acting…JT is a triple threat! That’s why it's funny when his buddy Anna Kendrick points out areas where he’s a little less skilled. Social media, camera phones, and mobile device technology are not his finest points. Kendrick teased that his camera was often facing the wrong way.
Kendrick also joked on The Ellen DeGeneres Show about Justin: “He’s also really into the 3-D version of Trolls. I hadn’t seen it and he was like, ‘It’s like it’s coming at you!’ And I’m like, ‘Are you a time traveler? I know what 3-D is.'”
9 On Singing Together
The nerves that Kendrick and Timberlake were dealing with going into their live Cannes performance were downright adorable. Timberlake said: “OK, we are going to give this a go, but you guys have to be nice.” And then added, “We’re just friends here, right? This isn’t like a big deal … we’re just hanging out in our living room.”
Next, they knocked everyone’s socks off with their performance of "True Colors".
8 Kendrick Teasing Timberlake
Kendrick knew when she signed on to Trolls that she might have to sit in the wings a little because she would be in Timberlake’s shadow. Just the same, as a friend, this gave her a chance to poke fun at Justin and his superstar fame.
InStyle reports that Kendrick joked about Timberlake’s fame while on Late Night with Seth Meyers, “I was doing press with Justin Timberlake and I was like, oh I’m not famous. Like he is so famous. We did this press tour in Cannes and I could tell that every interviewer was like, ‘Okay we’ve got to throw one question at her,’ and then they’re like, ‘Justin, what about your baby? What about the music? What about *NSYNC? What about ramen noodles and your hair and have you seen that meme?’”
7 The Press Tour
The duo got a lot of interview questions thrown their way during the first press tour - this gave each of them the opportunity to compliment the other. Justin was quick to compliment Anna’s singing talents, “It’s been fun to work specifically with Anna because she’s such a good singer. She doesn’t fancy herself that, but she is.”
Justin added, “It’s been so much fun to work with her. All the work that we actually did together was just me sitting at the board, and us talking about her singing and her vocal performance. “Get Back Up Again” is her singing, but she’s also acting. There’s a lot that goes into that.”
6 The Decision To Do Trolls World Tour Together
Justin Timberlake clearly enjoyed his role as Executive Musical Producer during the first movie, and earlier this month, he decided to share some sneak peeks into the future, by posting about the sequel on social media.
He is psyched to have worked with Mary J. Blige, SZA, George Clinton, and his co-star, Anna Kendrick. They've all created a new soundtrack. Mid-April will bring the long-awaited film, Trolls World Tour.
5 Trolling Timberlake's Fame
Even a famous celeb like Justin Timberlake isn’t without self-doubt. Justin admits he had worries about his performance of "True Colors". Justin said, “I was very nervous, to be honest. I remember the whole time I was doing the recording session, I was like, “What is Cyndi [Lauper] gonna think?” I still don’t know, and I guess it’s too late to worry about it because it’s already in the movie.”
4 Sharing A Stage
Whether it’s during interviews, or while performing a song together on the stage, even the best actors have trouble hiding bad relationships. On the other side of the coin, people who clearly work together as well as Kendrick and Timberlake do immediately put their audiences at ease. They bring the important friendship between Poppy and Branch into real life.
3 Making Beautiful Music
Anna and Justin's performances in the movie, Trolls (and live, while promoting the film), were enough to touch the hearts of fans, including many kids. Even journalists participating in the press junket for the film were moved.
Vanity Fair admitted, that despite the event at Cannes being a generic and typical corporate presentation, their version of "True Colors" was moving.
2 Critically Reviewing Each Other
Give and take is a good part of any professional relationship or friendship. Justin utilized his skills as a singer during his role as Executive Music Producer. When he worked with Anna, they took the film to the next level.
Anna says, “We had a take when they were coaching me on Skype, and it was good, but after working with Justin for a while, I was like, “I feel like we should go back.” Everyone was like, “Why? It’s fine.” I would bet that 95% of what’s in the movie is from my session with Justin because, as someone who’s a singer, he gives such specific notes that are so helpful that it just tightened it so much, and I feel like we got so much more heart and mischief and sass from her.”
1 Working With Friends
The first film was a success and the fact that the cast was a group of friends made the decision to work together again even more of a no-brainer. In addition to many past cast members being able to reprise their roles from the original films, the two leads were able to bring in some other friends. Anna Kendrick brought in the voice talents of Sam Rockwell, whom she worked with on the film, Mr. Right.
Sources: The Sun, BBC, Collider, Daily Mail, Much, The Loop, US Magazine