In the early aughts,Britney Spearsset out to shed her Mickey Mouse Club persona once and for all.
All roads led toCrossroads, the 2002 coming-of-age dramedy penned by a pre-Grey’s AnatomyShonda Rhimes.
She adds, too, that the scene was done tastefully.
Anson Mount and Britney Spears in ‘Crossroads’.Everett Collection
“A kid would not know what the heck is going on!”
“That was a fight I’m happy we won.”
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: I revisited the movie and felt like I was enveloped in a warm nostalgia blanket.
Anson Mount, Britney Spears, Zoe Saldana, and Taryn Manning in ‘Crossroads’.Everett Collection
What do you remember from your first meeting with Britney?
TAMRA DAVIS:I had the same feeling.
And then my producer, Ann Carli, said, “Would you just go meet Britney?”
Britney Spears and Kim Cattrall in ‘Crossroads’.Everett Collection
So I spent the day with her and really fell in love with her.
I thought, she really wants to do something different.
I saw that she was in control of who Britney was.
Britney Spears and Tamra Davis on set of ‘Crossroads’.Everett Collection
I was like,whoa, she is running this whole thing.
It was like jumping in a fast car.
It came at the height of Britney and Justin Timberlake.
Britney Spears, Taryn Manning, and Zoe Saldana in ‘Crossroads’.Everett Collection
How did that NSYNC sing-along scene come to be?
Was it already in the script?
The [NSYNC] scene encapsulated what was going on with the music scene at that time.
We loved that contrast of radio.
I don’t know if it was specifically in the script.
Were Kim Cattrall and Dan Aykroyd top choices for Britney’s on-screen parents?
Yes, we were all obsessed withSex and the City.
That was a game-changer for all of us girls.
Britney really wanted Kim Cattrall.
She doesn’t really do a lot of stuff, so it was exciting that she agreed to it.
It was brave of her because it’s kind of a dark thing.
It wasn’t loving.
It was like, you just rejected your daughter.
Dan was also fantastic and warm and fatherly.
I loved what he represented, and also that the film really was about trying to break that control.
And then there’s Zoe Saldana and Taryn Manning, both at the start of their careers.
What was their dynamic like with Britney?
The film was cast by my sister, Kim Davis, and Justine Baddeley.
They’re up for an Emmy forDaisy Jones and the Six.
They’re really good at casting young talent.
The chemistry between the three of them was fantastic.
I think it was really liberating for her, just to be part of a group and blend in.
You’ve expressed interest in a sequel as long as the original team returns.
Have you connected with any of them to discuss?
I think he’s been talking to Britney about it, with her management.
But if it does, fingers crossed that Shonda’s involved because she’s just so brilliant.
We were all girls behind the camera telling this story about girls in front of the camera.
It was such an important voice at that time.
Do you have any updates on the movie’s streaming status?
You’ve mentioned some trouble with tracking down the rights.
I have an update.
I was trying forever.
I’d call MTV, I’d call Paramount, I’d call my agents.
The theater was crowded.
And then I got a call a month ago: “Hey, they’re doing a color mix.
They need you to be there to approve it.”
One phone call from Britney and it’s available!
I think that’s what they’re going to work on now, is getting a streaming deal.
I’m sure we will.
They’re dealing with offers now.
What do you make of the shift?
[The reviews] made me so mad.
What right did these dudes have to criticize this movie?
This wasn’t for you; this was for girls, by girls, about girls.
Just stay away from our dialogue [and] out of our bedroom you’re not allowed in.
I’m not commenting aboutFast & Furiouslike that.
It put us more in the bedroom.
It made us lock the doors.
I wanted to make a film that made Britney, my producers, and Shonda happy.
At least I know we made the movie we intended.
My whole career was like that: I got slammed for makingBilly Madison[and]Half Baked.
Those are classics now.
I’m excited [Crossroads] comes back out to show what we did at a different time.
We’re at a different part of our zeitgeist.
Have you spoken to her since it’s been terminated?
We’re communicating through [other] people, so she knows how much I love and support her.
I can’t wait to read her book to figure out what her experience was.
I just wish her the best.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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