Back in the 90s, the series Friends came into the fold and completely took the world by storm. To this day, it is one of the most popular shows, despite not having new episodes for nearly two decades. The stars of the show cashed in when the show was still on the air, and the series also managed to snag some of the biggest guest stars of all time.
During this time, Justin Timberlake was part of NSYNC, who were busy selling millions of albums and touring the world. As we have seen, Timberlake has gotten into acting over the years, and back in the day, he tried his best to land a role on Friends. However, he was not able to make this happen.
So, why was Justin Timberlake denied a chance to be on one of the biggest shows of all time? Let’s dive in and see what exactly happened back in the day!
Justin Makes A Push For The Show
Back when NSYNC was riding a massive tidal wave of success, Friends was still one of the biggest shows on television. Turns out, the singer, who had previously done work on television before, wanted nothing more than to get a chance to appear on the show.
What’s interesting to see here is that it was Timberlake making the push to be on the show and not the other way around. Typically, a person will be approached to do a project, but this just goes to show how he felt about the show and the opportunity to appear on the series.
In an interview, series creator Marta Kauffman and David Crane would elaborate on what was going on behind the scenes with Timberlake.
Kauffman would say, “We got a call that Justin Timberlake wanted to do the show.”
This must have been surreal for the creators, as many of their guest stars had been actors as opposed to musicians. Not only that, but Justin was a legitimate teen idol and superstar at that time.
As we would go on to see, he would end up having plenty of success in the area of acting, but this did not come by appearing on the show. Don’t worry, the writers did not dismiss him entirely. In fact, they actually did their due diligence with Justin.
A Meeting Takes Place
Once Justin Timberlake made the call to try and get on Friends, the folks behind the scenes could have easily dismissed him and moved onto something else. However, they clearly know talent and a good opportunity when they see it, so they made sure to see what they could do for the singer.
In their interview, the show’s creators would open up about how the process with Justin went. Luckily for him, they were receptive to the idea of him being on the show. Yes, his celebrity status certainly helped, but the man is a performer that has chops in all areas of the entertainment industry.
When speaking of their time together, Marta Kauffman would say, “We had a meeting with him, and he was lovely...”
She neglected to go into further details about the meeting itself, but the fact that the creators of one of the biggest shows of all time was willing to meet with Justin Timberlake is simply remarkable. They must have had some serious faith that he could bring something unique to the show, but things did not line up the way they should have.
Despite taking the meeting with Justin Timberlake, the show’s creators knew that there was no guarantee that they could place him on the show. They balanced all of their guest stars well in the past, and they had little interest in ruining things now. Eventually, they had to come to a conclusion about his involvement in the show.
The Showrunners Shut It Down
Despite reaching out and trying to make things happen on Friends, there was no guarantee that Timberlake would land the spot. He was able to get a meeting with the creators, but at the end of the day, they had to do what's best for the show.
During their interview, Marta Kauffman would say, “...we didn’t have a good part for him.”
This must have stung a bit for Timberlake, but at the end of the day, the creators needed to do what they felt was best for the show.
Over time, Timberlake has amassed over 100 credits to his name in the entertainment industry, which is just incredible. He has been featured in the Trolls franchise and is doing well for himself all around.
Should the Friends series make a proper return, then he will once again get the chance to appear on the show. Given that he is still incredibly famous and talented, we’d like to think that the show can find a place for him this time around.