How Justin Timberlake and Jason Ritter Ended Up on Candy

Justin Timberlake is more than happy to play a supporting role to his wife, Jessica Biel.

In fact, the singer was so eager to star alongside his wife in the Hulu limited series Candy, he basically did it for free.

Biel—also a producer on the series—told Entertainment Weekly that Justin saw the scripts and expressed interest in playing Detective Steve Deffibaugh, but she told him the production couldn’t afford him. “‘We don’t have any money left’ was basically the conversation,” she recalled. “And he said, ‘I want to play this part.’ And I said, ‘Yeah. Okay.’ He goes, ‘No, no. I want to play this part.'” 

Biel went on to reach out to her producing partner Michelle Purple to ask if the role had already been booked, but Timberlake, who she shares two children with, was one step ahead of her: “She goes, ‘I know. He already called me about it.'”

Then, she and Purple reached out to showrunner Robin Veith—who Timberlake had pitched himself to as well. “Literally, they started talking and had a creative discussion about what that could mean,” Biel explained. “She was excited about the idea.”