Joey Fatone

Joey Fatone is an actor and part of the defunct boy band *NSYNC.

In December 2001, it was rumored that Fatone and other members of *NSYNC were filmed as extras in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. In the following days, the story gained momentum and it was reported that three band members—Fatone, JC Chasez, and Chris Kirkpatrick —were given parts as Jedi and Naboo citizens by producer Rick McCallum. Lucasfilm later confirmed the news but denied the rumor that it was done by George Lucas as a favor for his daughters, Katie and Amanda, who were fans of the band. Also, band member Lance Bass acknowledged that he and Justin Timberlake were not involved, but that Fatone's brother Steve Fatone was.

Many Star Wars fans reacted negatively to the news, many seeing this incident as further evidence of Star Wars "selling out", similar to some Star Wars fans' reactions to Jar Jar Binks or the Ewoks. On January 12, 2002, a Saturday Night Live sketch showed a satirical "first look" at Attack of the Clones, wherein the movie was forced to grind to a halt to allow for *NSYNC to perform an impromptu musical number entitled "I'm a Jedi Knight in these Jedi Days."

Fatone later announced that the singers' parts had been cut from the film because of the negative fan reaction. However, Lucasfilm's Lynne Hale denied this, saying that it was up to Lucas, and that "the final edit of the film is what he determines it will be."