‘Crossroads’: Britney Spears Once Revealed How Madonna Inspired an Under-Wear Clad Dance Scene
Even an icon like Britney Spears has a role model. And hers is Madonna. Spears revealed what she admires about the Vogue singer in a 2002 interview promoting her feature film Crossroads. Additionally, she shared why she paid tribute to Madonna with a scene in the movie.
‘Crossroads’ features a Britney Spears dance scene
Early in Crossroads, Britney Spears memorably dances in pink underwear, singing into a spoon for a microphone.
Her character, Lucy Wagner, is a teenager on the cusp of significant life changes. The scene establishes Lucy as a music lover with dreams. Moreover, it shows that she’s a true performer with legitimate dance skills.
Finally, it shows a bit of a goofy side. And that’s something Britney deliberately brought to her role in the Shonda Rhimes screenplay — a lot of herself. For example, the song she’s singing during the lively scene is one that she chose. It’s 1986 Madonna hit Open Your Heart.
”I wanted it to be me jumping around and playin’ around,” Spears said in a 2002 interview published in Hollywood.com. “Honestly, that song is one of my all-time favorite songs, and when they asked me what song I wanted to do I said let’s do this one, ’cause it’s just lighthearted and fun.”
It emerged in trailers as a full-blown personal tribute to the pop singer’s idol. Furthermore, it’s one of the movie’s most memorable and enduring scenes.
Britney Spears is a longtime Madonna fan
In the interview, Spears also reiterated her love for fellow singer and movie star Madonna.
“I just love the fact that when she gets on stage she is so amazing…she is one of the best entertainers, I think, of all time,” Spears said. “I just love the way she controls an audience. And the fact that she’s been able to do it all. I respect that, that she’s been able to do movies and also have a beautiful kid. I respect that a lot…I’m not going to follow in her footsteps completely but it’s definitely an inspiration for me.”
At the time, Madonna only had one child — her daughter, Lourdes Leon. Since then, she expanded her family by five more children. Madonna is famous for many movies of her own, including Desperately Seeking Susan (1985) and Shanghai Surprise (1986). Moreover, she’s also known for concert documentaries Truth or Dare (1991) and Madame X (2021).
Britney Spears remains a devoted fan. Shortly after Crossroads in 2003, the two pop icons famously kissed onstage at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Less famously, Madonna also kissed Christina Aguilera. To sum up, all three performed, and it became an iconic moment in music history. And it all started with a scene from the movie Crossroads.
The singer said the ‘Crossroads’ dance scene is realistic
Spears told Hollywood.com that the scene, however cutesy, is a realistic portrayal of a teen girl in her personal moments.
“It’s real,” she said. “All girls wake up in the morning–I personally sleep in a T-shirt–[Lucy] had her little guy briefs on and she’s just chillin’, singing. I think that’s what we do…That’s what I do.”
Britney Spears recently extricated herself from a complicated legal conservatorship. Los Angeles courts removed her father, Jamie Spears, from a 13-year-long grip of control over her finances and health care in September of 2021.
