Pop star Justin Timberlake was so shy as a child his mother Lynn used to tease him about his nervous demeanor.

Timberlake, who recently tried his hand at acting in the Nick Cassavetes film Alpha Dog, claims that performing brought him out of his shell.

The 26-year-old says, "I was very shy as a kid. But when I found out I could perform and have people's attention, everything changed.

"My mom likes to joke that until I was eight or nine I only knew what my sneakers looked like because I constantly walked around with my head down.

"But all of a sudden, the stage made sense and that's what brought me out of my shell and a monster was created.

"It felt like it came naturally and it was fun. Even as a kid, I'd find the one person whose attention I didn't have and zone in on that person. It became a challenge."

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(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)