Justin Timberlake spoke about his weird upbringing and multi-faceted career in a wide-ranging Hollywood Reporter cover story.

Pinpointing the moment he knew he had to leave NSYNC, he recalls: “We were on a stadium tour, and I just felt like the whole thing was too big.

“It started as a fun snowball fight that was becoming an avalanche. And, also, I was growing out of it. I felt like I cared more about the music than some of the other people in the group. And I felt like I had other music I wanted to make and that I needed to follow my heart.”

Later in the piece, he slams the idea of touring even more,.

“Going on tour is a circus,” he says. “You set up the tents, you play the show, you tear the tents down and go on to the next place. It’s like Groundhog Day. After the 125th show, you feel debilitated.”

He also bats away the idea that he will have to choose between disciplines, choosing to view his career in the same vein as the old Hollywood legends. “I really do idolize the golden era of Hollywood, when actors were required to sing and move. But I’m just following my gut in the decisions that I make about what I’m going to do next. I’m mostly just glad this is all working out because I really can’t do anything else. I’m not gifted at anything else.”

Read the interview here.

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