When it comes to Justin Timberlake’s performances or seeing him up close-and-personal, sweaty palms and an erratic heartbeat are pretty much de rigueur.
No surprises then, that it’ll be more of the same when it comes to the pop star’s new six-episode MTV series, “The Phone” — Timberlake’s first foray into the world of TV executive production.
While you’re watching the reality game show, Timberlake says, “what I hope for and, specifically, all I want, is for people’s hands to sweat.
“I have a group of friends who I basically test market everything on. We sat down and watched the [first] episode, and people were sweating, hands were clammy and, at the end, there were a couple of people who actually got emotional.”
In a set-up similar to the original 2007 Dutch TV show that bears the same name, “The Phone” — shot in Boston, Los Angeles and Seattle — sees four strangers receive phone calls from the mysterious “Operator.” They’re then split into two teams and race against the clock to complete suspense-ridden puzzles and nail-biting challenges, including climbing along the outer rim of the Seattle Space Needle and running into a burning building to save a man’s life.
The potential jackpot for the pair of contestants (to split) is a relatively low $50,000 — less if they fail any missions — which begs the question of whether or not Timberlake is surprised that people are willing to partake of the thrills for such little cash.
“I find that people are willing to do anything,” he says.
When asked if he’d ever do any of the stunts if someone was offering him money, he takes a moment to think.
“I’m more impressed with the idea of testing myself and seeing how far I could push myself before I break,” Timberlake says.
“I’m more about the dare, than anything — if someone just dared me to do it, I would probably do it. I’m kind of a thrill seeker, so I think that’s why this show is a good match for me to be a producer on.”
The idea to do an American version of Rose d’or-winning Dutch series, came to Timberlake through one of his managers. After “a handful of roundtable discussions” Timberlake decided to go for it.
“I felt like I could come up with ideas that really affected the show,” Timberlake says. “I’m a creative person and it became a really inspiring thing to be a part of.”
For Timberlake, the appeal of getting into television production was “infusing the brand, calling the shots, seeing what works and what doesn’t and making something that people enjoy.”
That’s where the cinematic scope of the series comes into play. The blockbuster feel you get while watching the hour-long series isn’t just a coincidence.
“We wanted to include a movie plot to give an incentive [to the action]. . .to up the stakes for the contestants in their mind,” Timberlake says, pointing to a Unibomber-style character that appears in the premiere episode.
While he was more involved with the initial planning process, Timberlake never appears on camera — in the tradition of Ashton Kutcher on “Punk’d.” Nor did he devise any of the “Phone” challenges. Still, the singer says he more than merely lend his name to the series.
“Oh, I never do that,” he says. “Unless I can sink my teeth into it and really feel like I can infuse the culture of what I’m doing, there’s no reason to do it.
“I’m lucky enough to be okay with the job I started with, so anything that comes my way, if I’m not fully invested in it and, quite honestly, have a stake in it where I feel like my creativity would make a difference, I’d just as soon pass it on to the next man.”
THE PHONE
Tuesday, 10 p.m., MTV