Britney Spears Once Risked Her Reputation For a Forgotten Film’s Scene Now Hiding on Netflix

Britney Spears became a pop sensation in the early 2000s, developing a girl-next-door image. However, when Spears signed on for the 2002 comedy-drama Crossroads, she was ready to shed that image and fought to keep a PG-13-rated steamy scene in the movie, which is now available on Netflix.

She wanted to [challenge] that image that she's this forever virgin girl. A kid would not know what the heck is going on! That was a fight I'm happy we won.

Director Tamra Davis made the above statement to Entertainment Weekly, admitting that the scene was a massive risk for Spears' public image at the time. Despite the steamy scene, Crossroads has mostly fallen out of the pop culture consciousness in the last two decades, but that hasn't stopped David from being hopeful for a sequel.

Director Tamra Davis Teases Potential Sequel to Britney Spears' Crossroads

Crossroads received mostly negative reviews upon release and currently sits at a 15% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite this, the movie was a commercial success, grossing $61.7 million against a roughly $12 million budget (via Box Office Mojo).

In the following years, the movie became forgotten amid Spears' more high-profile controversies in the subsequent two decades. At the same time, Davis admitted that she had some trouble tracking down the movie's rights. However, the director was hopeful of making a sequel.

Davis also hoped that Bridgerton producer Shonda Rhimes, who penned the original screenplay, would return for the second installment, stating:

If it does, fingers crossed that Shonda's involved because she's just so brilliant.

Davis also revealed that conversations had taken place with Spears with the potential for her to reprise the lead role in a sequel. However, the director added that there was currently no deal in place for the sequel to materialize.

Netflix's Britney vs Spears: What You Didn't Know

Crossroads marked a major shift in Spears' public image, and the movie can be streamed on Netflix. However, the streaming service also offers an inside look at Spears' turbulent personal life over the past couple of decades with the documentary Britney vs Spears.

The documentary aims to explore the controversial conservatorship Spears was placed under in 2008. It made several startling revelations about Spears' personal life. Court documents revealed dementia was cited as a major reason that led to Spears' conservatorship (via Lo Officiel).

Britney vs Spears also revealed that the pop star's stint on the reality series The X-Factor put undue pressure on her. Spears' involvement in the show was under strict guidelines from her conservatorship and was under increased medication during her tapings (via The Hollywood Reporter).

The conservatorship was eventually terminated by a judge in 2021, after almost thirteen years and a lengthy legal battle (via CNN), which made the pop star a symbol of conservatorship law reform (via The Guardian). What do you think of Spears' public image over the years? Let us know in the comments!

Britney vs Spears and Crossroads are currently streaming on Netflix (USA).