Seth Green Says Lance Bass’s Struggle With His Sexuality Inspired ‘Josie and The Pussycat’s Du Jour
Josie and the Pussycat's Du Jour may have started out as a parody, but for Lance Bass, it may have had some real-life resonance.
In an interview with Billboard, Seth Green, who played Travis in the cult comedy's faux boy band, said his character was inspired in part by Bass's struggle with his sexuality. The *NSYNC alum didn't come out as gay until 2006 — five years after Josie and the Pussycats' release — but Green explained that those who knew him were familiar with his struggle to reconcile his public and private personas, and he thought that served as an intriguing backdrop when it came to approaching his role in the film.
"This was also the time when Lance Bass was still in the closet," Green shared. "I knew Lance personally, and everybody that knew Lance that was behind the scenes knew that he was gay and was struggling with that, and struggling with the persona and self he had to keep to be a part of this band. I thought was something interesting to explore, especially for a character that literally puts a hat on top of another hat, defined by his accessories."
And Donald Faison, Breckin Meyer, and Alexander Martin — who portrayed the rest of Du Jour — took their parts quite seriously, too.
"We created our own choreography, selected our own outfits so that we could completely embody versions of each of these characters," Green continued. "I wanted to play the guy in the band who had too many accessories. Everyone always has their defined characters — the tough guy, the goofy guy, and [I was] Travis, not quite knowing who he was."
Read the full interview on Billboard.com.