05 February 2011
Newsdesk
Justin Timberlake took on the role of Boo Boo in ‘Yogi Bear’ to “feel better” about himself.
The singer-and-actor – who provides the voice of the little bear in the new animated movie – has felt guilty about young girls being fans of his raunchy music so wanted to do something that wouldn’t be inappropriate for children to watch.
When asked why he took on the role of Boo Boo, Justin replied: “Guilt. I’ve had parents come to me and say: ‘My daughter really loves the song ‘SexyBack’. I say, ‘Oh great. How old is your daughter?’ expecting them to say she goes to university. They say, ‘She’s nine.’
“So that made me feel really bad as a person. And I felt it was irresponsible of those parents — my music is explicit. So I did this film so that I would feel better about myself.”
As well as feeling guilty, the 30-year-old heartthrob says another reason he agreed to star in the movie – which sees Dan Aykroyd voice Yogi - was because it brought back happy memories.
He explained in an interview with the Daily Mail newspaper: “As a kid I liked to entertain. I’m an only child and I was obviously really bored, so I would imitate Scooby-Doo and Boo Boo for my parents. Yogi and Boo Boo are iconic characters — a duo like Batman and Robin. I laughed at them as a kid, so I think nostalgia is the biggest reason I did the film.”
