Justin Timberlake for GQ 'Men of the Year' December 2013

Photographed by Sebastian Kim

On his movie Runner, Runner not doing very well: “The movie didn’t do well at the box office, so I should quit? Hold on a second. If I was somebody else, you wouldn’t have said that. I have the number one album this week, and I shouldn’t have released it? Come on, man. You sound like a dickhead…. It just shocked me because, like, you’re trade magazines.None of your opinions count. And by the way, none of you can do it.”

On not believing he is a cool guy: “Listen, I’m not cool… Being cool is about keeping your blood pressure steady. So no. Don’t be cool. Be passionate. Be dedicated. Be tenacious. Be uncompromising. Be pissed. Be happy. Be sad…. I’ve made a career out of doing things that I should not be doing. I wasn’t cool about it. Because being cool would have meant I passed up on those opportunities. If you do that, it’s because you’re afraid. And what are you afraid of? You know?”

On growing up in Memphis & responding to his critics: “It’s a struggling city with a defeatist attitude. I’m from this town, and I grew up with a little bit of a chip on my shoulder, so sometimes I find it funny that I’ve been able to acquire the patience it takes to be kind to people in our business. Because sometimes I just want to f–king kill everybody.”

Head over to GQ for more

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