Skip to main content

Creativity Quote by Justin Timberlake

"If I did any movies I'd have to take a break from singing, because I'd want it to be really good"

About this Quote

Timberlake’s line lands like a modest confession, but it’s really a thesis on brand management in the era of the multi-hyphenate. He frames acting not as a casual side quest but as a commitment heavy enough to interrupt the core product: the music. That’s an artist talking, sure, but it’s also a savvy acknowledgment of how audiences now punish the “tourist” performance. If he shows up on screen, it can’t feel like stunt casting or a celebrity cameo with better lighting.

The subtext is about credibility and scarcity. Pop stars are expected to be omnipresent, yet Timberlake signals restraint: I won’t dilute the thing you know me for unless I can meet a higher bar somewhere else. The phrase “I’d want it to be really good” is doing double duty. It sounds earnest, even perfectionist, but it quietly preemptively defends him against the inevitable skepticism: why is he acting, and does he take it seriously? By promising seriousness, he asks permission to be judged as a craftsman rather than a brand extension.

Context matters because Timberlake has lived on both sides of this divide: the musician who successfully crossed into film and the actor whose choices sometimes felt like extensions of celebrity. This quote reads like a calibration after early wins and misfires, an attempt to reassure fans and filmmakers alike that if he disappears from the charts for a while, it won’t be for vanity. It’ll be for focus.

Quote Details

TopicMovie
SourceHelp us find the source
Cite

Citation Formats

APA Style (7th ed.)
Timberlake, Justin. (2026, January 16). If I did any movies I'd have to take a break from singing, because I'd want it to be really good. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-i-did-any-movies-id-have-to-take-a-break-from-107234/

Chicago Style
Timberlake, Justin. "If I did any movies I'd have to take a break from singing, because I'd want it to be really good." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-i-did-any-movies-id-have-to-take-a-break-from-107234/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"If I did any movies I'd have to take a break from singing, because I'd want it to be really good." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-i-did-any-movies-id-have-to-take-a-break-from-107234/. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.

More Quotes by Justin Add to List
Justin Timberlake on Taking a Break from Singing for Movies
Click to enlarge Portrait | Landscape

About the Author

Justin Timberlake

Justin Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is a Musician from USA.

40 more quotes available

View Profile

Similar Quotes