Why did Britney Spears never act in films again?

The feature film, in which the singer played the lead role, arrives on Netflix 22 years after its release. Take a look at this unique entry into cinema.

We are in 2002 and Britney Spears, a global star at the peak of her fame, crosses the line between music and cinema to land a lead role. Crossroad, Interpreter of toxic Then signs his first and last entry into the 7th art with this Learning Road movie with accent teenagersAvailable on Netflix this Thursday – 22 years after its theatrical release in the United States.

Britney Spears, then 21, played the role of Lucy. This golden-voiced young woman, barely out of high school, sets out on a journey across America led by two long-lost friends, in hopes of finding her mother.

The singer, then in full promotion of her third eponymous album, was broadcast by the Tube i am your slaveopposite Zoe Saldana (Guardians of the Galaxy), Taryn Manning (Exatukee).15-20), Anson Mount (Hell on Wheels), Kim Cattrall (sex and the city) and Dan Aykroyd (Ghost Busters,

The feature film had a surprising trajectory for a teen-centric film: mostly terrible reviews (though quite generous towards Britney Spears’ performance) with an even higher box office score (grossing $61 million worldwide against a $10 million budget. Made), i.e. Profitability over 600%) a few years later to establish itself as a classic for an entire generation of fans.

A “difficult” experience

There is much to predict, if not for Oscar roles, then at least some main characters for Britney Spears in cinema – like Barbra Streisand, Madonna and Cher before her, or Ariana Grande after her.

However, apart from a few rare token appearances on the small or big screen – often in her own role – the former America’s Little Bride has never set foot on a film set to direct a feature film.

A deliberate decision which he spoke about recently. It was released last October the woman inside me (J.C. Lattes), his explosive behind-the-scenes memoir of his career and patronage:

“The experience was difficult for me,” he revealed. “The concern was not about the people involved in the production, but about the effect acting had on my mind.”

“I think I’ve started practicing method acting“, referring to a method of blending into his role to act as accurately as possible. “Except I didn’t know how to get out of my character. I really became another person (…) There was no separation: I ended up walking, behaving, speaking differently. While I was filming I was someone else for several months Crossroad, I think even today the girls with whom I made this film would think I was strange.

Another canceled project

“It was the beginning and end of my acting career and I was relieved,” the singer said in her book. But she didn’t get very far from adding a second feature film to her filmography until, two years later, she landed the lead role in the cult drama Almost never forget, A film by Nick Cassavetes about a romantic encounter between a wealthy young woman and a worker in the mid-20th century, in which he would have shared the poster with Ryan Gosling.

“Casting Process never forget It got to the point where it was just me against Rachel McAdams (who got the role, editor’s note),” she revealed in her book.

“I’m glad I didn’t do that. If that had happened, I would have worked on my album instead. in the zone I would behave like a 1940s heiress day and night.

if one never forget While the Britney Spears character has never seen the light of day, her fans got to see a small preview last October. In the wake of her book’s revelations, the Daily Mail broadcast previously unreleased images of one of her auditions with Ryan Gosling.

hectic pace of work

Another element may have contributed to tarnishing her experience as an actress. Last October, the film’s producer Ann Carley recalled her filming experience during a screening in Los Angeles. And at the time Britney Spears reportedly condemned the grueling work hours her team faced:

“(At one point during filming), they wanted her to go into the studio at night to record after spending the whole day on set,” he recalled, as reported by Variety.

“I just told them there was no question of it, and I would stop the film immediately, because it was unfair to them.”

frozen glory

Crossroad It is thus not only a witness to Britney Spears’s effort on the big screen, but also to a bygone era: the era where the singer still embodied the American dream, gave dreams to all teenage girls in the world and positioned herself as Madonna’s heir. Established as one for whom all doors were open.

The Machine stalled a few years ago and the singer was placed under the conservatorship of her father Jamie in 2008, making him responsible (then co-responsible after 2019) for her financial affairs and her health for 13 years.