Justin Timberlake has joked he identified with Boo Boo in Yogi Bear for being short.
The singer and actor admitted there was a lot of pressure voicing the cult cartoon characters for the new digitally animated film, in which he stars with Dan Aykroyd as the voice of Yogi, but his own lack of height helped him get into character as the tiny bear.
Justin joked: “I like to wear bow ties – I’m also furry in places.
He added: “Maybe the dry sense of humour is something we have in common. Also, I didn’t hit my growth spurt until late in life, so I was short for a large proportion of it.”
Dan, 58, admitted it was hard becoming Yogi, but he joked that he shares the “Yogi Bear appetite”.
He said: “It was physically taxing. Not only are you using the vocals but we’re giving facial expressions to assist the animators in getting the whole character right.
“The days were quite exhausting but I drove home every day laughing and thinking about what we did – happy we were doing great work.”
Despite the pressure, Justin, 29, was honoured to be voicing one of his favourite cartoons.
He said: “Back in Tennessee, I’d put off doing my homework by watching cartoons, and Yogi Bear was one of the staples. I grew up with them. They’ve been iconic characters for so long.”
:: Yogi Bear is released in cinemas on Friday, February 11
