Justin Timberlake has recounted being bluntly rejected by pop icon Beyonce.
The 43-year-old SexyBack singer is a contemporary of Beyonce - with both finding fame in pop groups before securing huge success as solo artists.
But Timberlake struggled to convince 43-year-old Beyonce to agree to take part in a sketch for Saturday Night Live when he was a guest host back in 2008.
The former NSYNC band member was planning a sketch for the weekend comedy show when regular cast members Andy Samberg and Bobby Moynihan hit him with an idea.
Timberlake recalls, per Billboard, "(Andy) said Bobby Moynihan has this great idea for a sketch about you, me, and him being Beyoncé's background dancers that never made the cut.
"I was like 'full leotard'? And he's like, 'yeah.' I was like, 'This is too funny. We have to do this.'"
However, convincing Destiny's Child icon Beyonce to take part proved to be a delicate process - with Timberlake going to extremes to win her over.
He recalled, "She was very polite about it, but she was very hesitant. And when I say hesitant, I mean like, she was not having it.
"I'm like: Does she know how funny this is gonna be? How beloved this whole moment will be?
"I put the leotard and the heels and the hose on and everything, and put a robe on. I walked and knocked on her door, I threw the robe down and put my hands on my hips and she was like, 'No you didn't!'"
Beyonce was ultimately convinced and the skit has been crowned one of the most iconic moments in SNL history.
Timberlake's anecdote is part of a documentary titled Ladies & Gentleman... 50 Years of SNL Music - which aired on NBC on Monday night.
