'Reptile' Director Reveals How He Got Justin Timberlake to Star in the Netflix Thriller

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Justin Timberlake stars in the upcoming thriller Reptile, and now, the director is explaining how it went down.

Director Grant Singer spoke to Collider about the project. During the conversation, he revealed how Justin came on board and what it was like to work with the music superstar. Keep reading to find out more… “His name came up very early in the process, and I loved that idea,” he began. “To me, because he is known as a pop star, and although he is such a fine actor – he has worked with some of the greatest directors from the Coen Brothers to David Fincher, what have you – I loved how inspired that idea was.” “Then, once I met him, I was like, ‘Oh, this is it,”” he said, adding that they had a lot of mutual respect for one another. “We just got along, and he loves the script, and he loved my vision for the movie, and he was very excited about the project, and that goes a long way.” In the movie, Nichols (Benicio Del Toro), a hardened New England detective unflinching in his pursuit of a case where nothing is as it seems, one that begins to dismantle the illusions in his own life. Justin plays the boyfriend of a murdered woman who claims he’s innocent, but is still the number one suspect in the killing.

As far as the character, Grant said: “That character is so hard because we’re always trying to portray the hunter as the hunted, something we’re doing in the movie, this sort of delicate balance, and grieving, and what is he thinking, and all these different things.

It’s a very hard role, and he’s so vulnerable yet withholding. I just thought he did such a fine job, and I loved working with him.” Justin is also doing something special with the NFL!