By Chris Snellgrove | Published
As much as critics may hate their bobby vibe, NSYNC is arguably the best boy band in the world, especially when you consider the later cultural and musical influence of star Justin Timberlake. Surprisingly, back when NSYNC was at its peak, this best of boy bands appeared in what might be the worst Star Wars movie. In a 2023 episode of The hot onesthe group confirmed that they were initially going to appear in Attack of the Clones but that their cameo was ultimately removed from the film.
Goodbye, goodbye, NSYNC in Star Wars
Part of The hot onesThe charm is in the big questions host Sean Evans asks, and in this episode he finally asked NSYNC if they starred in the second Star Wars prequel. He asked if they were really going to play the Jedi Knights in the movie, and Lance Bass pointed out that it wasn’t the entire group that came close to making an appearance… just Chris Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, and Joey Fatone. However, Kirkpatrick immediately pointed out the obvious about their cameo: “it never made it on screen.”
NSYNC members Lance Bass and Justin Timberlake have recalled their displeasure at not receiving the initial invitation to appear in the second Star Wars prequel. “Lance and I were so hurt,” Timberlake said. This prompted Bass to offer a very even-handed response: “They were eliminated anyway, so it doesn’t even matter.” »
NSYNC is so close to Star Wars
The fact that NSYNC almost appeared in a Star Wars movie made waves in the fan community years ago (more on that soon), but even most superfans don’t realize just how much the boy band has almost appeared in Attack of the Clones. They actually received combat training, the kind that would allow them to look at least semi-convincing when thrust into the film’s climactic Geonosis battle. Joey Fatone coyly admitted that the line-up also looked convincing because “when we were doing the scenes”, the musicians were “literally… going ‘voom voom’ like idiots”.
Interestingly, the only reason NSYNC was invited to appear in Attack of the Clones Firstly, the daughter of Star Wars producer Rick McCallum was a big fan of the band. The cameo was cut for two reasons, the first being SAG-AFTRA rules regarding extras. Joey Fatone later admitted that “Usually they have to pay SAG’s royalties on that document” and “We only signed a confidential document – which we said nothing about – but they had to exclude us from it.” »
Although a little fuzzy, Fatone’s story helps explain why NSYNC did not appear in the second Star Wars prequel. Namely, George Lucas and his team didn’t want any SAG-related drama. There is, however, another reason why they were removed, and it was revealed by Fatone’s brother Steve in 2015. Basically, the group’s appearance in Attack of the Clones was rumored well before the film’s release, and it generated such a backlash among fans that their appearance (complete with Jedi robes and padawan braids) was canceled altogether.
In hindsight, killing NSYNC’s Star Wars cameo was for the best. At the time, the fandom was already reeling from the poor quality of the The Phantom Menace. After this first prequel, there was much speculation about whether or not George Lucas had lost the creative vision that led him to create this famous galaxy far, far away. Luckily, Lucas helped say “Bye, Bye, Bye” to that speculation by removing the band from the film entirely.
Source: People
