Yes, we all know Britney Spears as the undisputed Princess of Pop, but once upon a time, she was an actress, too, leading the 2002 coming-of-age road flick Crossroads. Alongside co-stars Taryn Manning, Anson Mount, Kim Cattrall, Dan Aykroyd and Zoe Saldaña—who recently opened up about what it was like working with the music mega-star—Spears helped make the sweet Shonda Rhimes-written dramedy an enduring favorite with moviegoers. And it seemingly continues to be two decades later, given fan reaction to the news that Crossroads is finally heading to streaming.
On Monday, January 22, it was announced on Instagram that the early-aughts movie—which centers on three teenage girls who set off on a cross-country drive to Los Angeles to accomplish goals set forth in their childhood "wish box"—would be available to stream globally with a Netflix subscription starting February 15. Along with a photo of Spears, Saldaña and Manning, Netflix posted to its social media accounts:
The first movie to ever star the one and only Britney Spears has never been available on streaming... but that's about to change!...So thrilled to announce that CROSSROADS will finally be available on Netflix 🚨 GLOBALLY 🚨 starting February 15
And, naturally, Crossroads fans were very excited by the prospect of revisiting the movie on streaming, with many sharing their enthusiasm in the comments of the Instagram post. One user, @dreamyrose, wrote:
WE WON!!!!!😍
Another, posting under the handle @z.moraz, added:
Finally! 🔥
And @life_of_a_designermama shared a sentiment felt by many millennials:
I was obsessed with this movie as a tween 😍❤️
The pop star has previously revealed how difficult things were for her while making Crossroads. Spears—who starred as Lucy Wagner in the film (with her now-estranged younger sister Jamie Lynn Spears playing young Lucy)—wrote about the filming experience in her revelations-packed memoir, The Woman in Me. She writes in the book,
The experience wasn’t easy for me. My problem wasn’t with anyone involved in the production but with what acting did to my mind. I think I started Method acting—only I didn’t know how to break out of my character. I really became this other person. Some people do Method acting, but they’re usually aware of the fact that they’re doing it. But I didn’t have any separation at all.
At the time of filming Crossroads, it seems like the singer-actress was already experiencing the notorious family troubles that would come to be the subject of media coverage of the pop icon in the 2010s and 2020s. The film's director, Tamra Davis, even claimed she was aware of bad blood between Britney and her father years before the conservatorship was put in place.
Britney Spears wouldn't go on to lead another feature film after Crossroads (despite reportedly being in the running for a lead role in The Notebook, opposite her old The Mickey Mouse Club buddy Ryan Gosling), but that fact has seemingly made the 2000s movie even more cherished by Britney fans. We'll certainly be tuning into the cross-country adventures of Lucy and Co. when Crossroads finally arrives on Netflix. Come on — it's Britney, bitch!
