Givenchy bottles the sweet smell of success for its new fragrance Play Sport, inspired by pop-cultural polymath Justin Timberlake.

In the 31 short years he’s been on this planet, Justin Timberlake has managed to cram in being a child TV star, a boy-band pin-up, a triple platinum-selling recording artist and one of Hollywood’s most bankable leading men, all the while dating some of the world’s hottest women. While some of his peers have suffered public meltdowns and falling output, he has deftly turned his hand to each new challenge with inimitable success. Unlike his Mickey Mouse Clubco-stars Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera he has snubbed launching his own fragrance in favour of being the global face of Givenchy. When we meet, Timberlake is flying the flag for the house in a bespoke single-breasted suit over a simple henley top with a printed scarf from the current collection, matched with an enormousCartier watch. And while he’s happy to talk about the new fragrance, Play Sport, just don’t mention the hair…

In Friends With Benefits you play a character called Dylan, creative director of GQ. Did you study our Editor Dylan Jones carefully for this role?
I just kind of walked through the office and saw what they wore to work every day. They’re all very stylish men, so it was important to get that. My character wanted to impress because he had just got the job there, so I wanted him to dress up even a little more.

Is Dylan the best-dressed character you’ve played so far?
I’ve had some pretty well-dressed characters: Sean Parker [The Social Network], who wore suits all the time. I’d say the worst dressed was Scott in Bad Teacher. Some of those sweaters were just ridiculous; the one with the bone latch was really funny. I would say Will in In Time had some of the coolest clothing I’ve worn. It’s not every day you get Colleen Atwood, Oscar-winning costumer, dressing you.

Have you picked up any style tips from your characters?
I put a little bit of how I dress and a little bit of who I am into every character because [that way] you find something to relate to.

As the face of Givenchy, how much creative input do you have?
Well, I think it’s important to know what you don’t know. I know nothing about what it’s like to put a fragrance together. I sat with them first, and we talked more about my lifestyle, so the fragrance is an extension of that conversation more than anything. That’s why this was an interesting collaboration for me.

Does Givenchy Play Sport reflect your style?
You’re talking about a company that’s been around for a long time. And I think it speaks to the level of their quality that they’re able to reinvent themselves. I’m also a huge fan of Riccardo Tisci [Givenchy's creative director], so it seemed like a great partnership. I love Riccardo; I love his work. Givenchy as a brand is classic but it’s also very modern. It seemed like a very cool thing to do. I don’t create notes for the fragrance, I talk in a broader way, more about lifestyle and what I think makes sense for the both of us in this partnership; that’s more the impetus and that’s my relationship with the project.

So we shouldn’t expect a “Justin Timberlake” fragrance any time soon.
I don’t think I would ever make my own – this is more comfortable for me. I don’t aspire to have my name on a fragrance.

You were telling us you like to play golf and snowboard, but how do you stay fit and healthy when you’re on the road, working all the time?
Being on the road, the hours aren’t as crazy, but it is a sevenday- a-week job. I compare being on tour for music to being a pro athlete. You show up, and for two hours you’re exerting yourself, then you go straight to the next place. Or like being a pro footballer. But they probably travel a lot more nicely than I do – I get on a bus, they probably get on a private plane…

Is acting less demanding than music?
Acting is a different process, in a way; you work 12-hour days at least, but you get two days off. For a movie, I train leading up to it; then while rehearsing, I’ll have two or three months to really train. Then when filming starts you do things that aren’t as vigorous because you’re working so much, but you can get in short work-outs.

How do you train?
Sometimes I wake up and stretch and do 20 minutes on the treadmill, or anything to just break a sweat. And then I have the weekends where I can get out and play nine holes and maybe go to the gym. So I try to moderate it. It’s kind of like running a marathon. The hardest part about making movies is staying the exact same weight every day and looking the same.

Presumably that takes some pretty serious discipline.
You have to ignore the catering. It seems like a pain, but it’s really not that hard to monitor your calories once you get it down. Plus, sometimes I can up my intake because I’m working 12-hour days and burning a lot more energy, especially on a movie like In Time, where it was so physical. All that diet and health stuff really revolves around the movie or show. I’m sure that there will be a project where I need to look unhealthy; I’ll have to figure that out when the time comes.

You travel an enormous amount – give us some tips for the products to always pack.
The only thing that I travel with is an Ole Henriksen facial cleanser, something that my skin is used to avoid using different soaps at different hotels all the time, and Givenchy Man Pro-Energizing Massive Moisturizer. I usually keep my hair pretty short, too, so I don’t require a lot of stuff.

Any haircuts you wish you’d never had?
I’ve had a lot, but they were more in my teenage years. We don’t talk about those…

Givenchy Play Sport, £55.50 for 100ml. At House Of Fraser. houseoffraser.co.uk