The crooner also discusses the possibility of a Las Vegas residency for the boy band.
Joey McIntyre is opening up about how New Kids on the Block has managed to go the distance.
ET's Keltie Knight sat down with the singer in New York on Monday to discuss his not one, but two upcoming acting gigs in two plays, Twelfth Night and The Wanderer. He also chatted about the decades-spanning run his boy band has enjoyed.
"Staying together is so hard and that's why so many bands don't benefit from staying together," he states.
"First of all, we took 14 years off and we never thought we'd get back together," McIntyre adds of the group's hiatus from 1994 to 2008. "You gotta pick your spots and you gotta take care of yourself. I mean, I slowly realized that the more I focus on myself and asked for what I need and go after that, then it's all good, you know what I mean? You know, we're five pretty good guys. I'm lucky to be a part of it."
Considering their longstanding bankability, he was also asked if the New Kids have ever considered a Las Vegas residency.
"Vegas has definitely, you know, come up a lot, but when you can still play arenas it's pretty cool," McIntyre responds.
He also discussed the group's annual cruise, which runs from April 23-27 in 2020, stating, "It's four nights and five days of non-stop craziness and we're all dead. Everybody goes home dead and then we somehow do it again next year."
Speaking of nostalgia, McIntyre also took a peek at an interview he did with ET in 1989, making for a hilarious reaction and response.
"First of all, my voice was changing, so it was a mess," he joked after watching the clip in which he discusses his newfound success and giving back as a teen. "I always have such compassion for that kid 'cause he could barely talk and he's still trying to sing 'Please Don't Go Girl.'"
During the interview, he also shared his excitement to tackle his first Shakespearean role, stating: "It's very exciting. I always wanted to do it. And I'm thrilled… It's Twelfth Night and the character's Orsino."
Twelfth Night opens on Jan. 11, 2020 at the Two River Theater in Red Bank, New Jersey, and his next play, The Wanderer, opens at the Papermill Playhouse in New Jersey this spring.
Check out McIntyre's chat with ET above.
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