Actress Zoe Saldaña is one of the highest grossing actresses ever, thanks to her role in megahit properties like Avatar and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But she started out like anyone else trying got make it in Hollywood, with Saldaña getting early jobs like Pirates of the Caribbean. Another early credit is the musical road trip movie Crossroads, which was released back in 2002. And the Guardians icon recently recalled what it was like working with Britney Spears on that flick.
Crossroads was meant to be Britney Spears first big acting debut. While she went on to do cameos in TV and film, it's still the pop star’s biggest role. Zoe Saldaña recently spoke to BBC Radio 1 about her career, and what it was like working with the “Stronger” singer back in the day. As she put it,
I feel like it was my first time working with, like, a mega-star, and I had no idea how big this world can be when you’re that sort of globally known. And yet, she was so grounded, and she didn’t really welcome half the things she was receiving. And all she just wanted [to do was] sing and read little books and act and dance.
How sweet is that? While Saldaña was likely a bit star struck when she started working on Crossroads, it sounds like she had a great time collaborating with Britney Spears. And it sounds like, despite her fame at the time, Spears was super grounded and fun to be around. Now get her in another movie, damnit!
Saldaña’s story about Crossroads is sure to go viral, given how much the public continues to be invested in all things Britney. Spears was finally freed from her conservatorship in 2022, and has made a number of abuse allegations against the Spears family. Since then fans have picked apart every post Spears makes on social media, and is seemingly addicted to seeing what comes next for her.
Crossroads was filmed back in 2001, with Zoe Saldaña still being a relative unknown in the business. The movie also stars Taryn Manning, who is best known as playing Pennsatucky in Orange is the New Black. Also featured are Dan Aykroyd, Kim Cattrall, and Justin Long. The cast was pretty stacked, but unfortunately it’s hard to find Crossroads on streaming currently.
Britney Spears was still America’s sweetheart when filming and promoting Crossroads, years before her infamous 2007 breakdown. Saldaña’s memory shows how carefree she was at the time, before mega fame, public struggles, and her conservatorship would change things for her. Luckily she seems to be happier now, even if there are rumors about Spears and her husband floating around.
Hopefully Crossroads becomes available to stream soon. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
