"Crossroads"

Production Notes

The seed for "Crossroads" was planted in probably one of the most likely of places a movie theater. Producer Ann Carli and one of her best friends, screenwriter Shonda Rhimes, were watching a film, and though the name of the movie they saw eludes them, the two women definitely remember a very important conversation they had. "I said to Shonda, 'I think Britney Spears has the same thing that Will Smith has," recalls Carli, 'I think she's more than a singer and can be a really good actress, someone the public will fall in love with. What do you think about writing a script for her?" Rhimes admits she was intrigued, adding that she "trusted Carli's instincts about up and - coming talent."
Carli then wrote a detailed proposal and took it to "Jive Records", Spears' record company, and where Carli worked for 11 years as a senior vice president of artist development. The next thing she knew, she was on a plane to New York to meet with Larry Rudolph, one of Spears' managers, and Clive Calder, the head of the Zomba Group, which owns Jive.
"I was expecting to have to pitch the project, but based on my proposal, Clive gave me the green light," Carli remembers. In fact, Clive said that he and Larry had been discussing how to take Britney's career to a new level, and a movie was the next logical step. The timing was just amazing.
From the start, Carli says that Rhimes was her first choice to write "Crossroads" because she felt that the screenwriter had the sensitivity to create the kind of movie both Spears and she envisioned. But first Carli wanted Rhimes to get to know the person behind the pop icon, so she sent Rhimes to meet Spears at her concert in Chicago. "We sat in the front row, and at one point, I turned around and saw thousands of screaming teenagers and their parents," Rhimes says. "There was just so much love there it was amazing. I mean, those kids respect Britney. They want to be just like her. And when I met her backstage, I found out that even though the persona she projects on stage is very powerful, what's reallly powerful is Britney herself. She's a very real, very natural, normal girl."
It was then time to finalize a director, and Carli knew she wanted Tamra Davis. Not only had Davis directed the critically-acclaimed "Guncrazy" with Drew Barrymore and the hit comedy "Billy Madison" with Adam Sandler, but she'd also worked on a number of music videos. "I felt Tamra had an affinity for the material, and unlike some directors, she wouldn't have a stigma about doing a film with someone from the music world. In fact, her husband is Mike D of The Beastie Boys and she's got a very young attitude. She can communicate with young actors, and I felt that Britney would be comfortable working with her," Carli says.
Davis admits that she had always been fascinated by Britney Spears' energy and she also believed in Ann's ability to spot talent. She then read Rhimes' script and loved the material. "I have the greatest respect for both Ann and Shonda. And after reading Shonda's screenplay, I could see that all three of us shared the same vision for the film. We wanted a piece that depicted real life. We wanted to show not just the joys of teenage life, but also the trials young people are handling today," Davis says.
Since Carli was working on a film in Japan, she flew the director to meet Spears in person at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas. After only a brief period with the down-to-earth superstar, Davis was fully on board, discovering quickly that Spears is just the kind of young woman who could make her film debut a rousing success. "We met in a fancy hotel room, but Britney greeted me wearing a T-shirt and jeans with no make-up at all. She was just a normal teenager who just happened to have a whole lot of talent. I mean, she was so likeable, and I knew that if I could put on film what she projected in that room, we could make a wonderful movie," Davis recalls.
"The story and the characters are the most important thing to Shonda, and she and I agreed that we wanted to put Britney in a story that was nurturing to her. In fact, the very first time Britney talked with us about the film, she stressed that she wanted to make a movie that means something, and that didn't talk down to her peers," Carli says. "I didn't want just a simple teen movie," says Spears. "I wanted to touch hearts, and say to other girls out there that they're not alone in what they're going through."
Rhimes recalls that Spears was very specific about wanting to tell the truth, "She didn't want to minimize how important true love is to young people. She wanted to show that teenagers aren't just facing whether or not to have sex, they're thinking about a relationship's future."
Spears' character, Lucy, is the personification of that teenage girl on the edge of growing up and becoming a woman. She is someone experiencing many of the emotions young people feel when they are leaving high school and coming into their own. "Lucy is very confused with her life. She wants to please her dad, who has a dream of her becoming a doctor, but then again, she wants to fulfill her own dreams, and for now, her dreams are to be reunited with her mother and to become a singer. I really love the message of the movie, about friends sticking together and helping each other through their problems, and pursuing their dreams," says Spears.
"Actually, the film is about how teenagers relate to each other and to their parents. It's also about how difficult it is to break free and become individuals. I tried to incorporate these elements into my screenplay, and I set it against a backdrop that I feel is probably the most pivotal kind of relationship that everyone can relate to friendship," says Rhimes.
Not surprisingly, that's exactly what Spears, her fellow actors and the entire crew came away with from making "Crossroads" - friendship. And as for Spears' feelings about her film debut - her deep connection with her co-stars Zoe Saldana (Kit) and Taryn Manning (Mimi) made the whole experience nothing less than the realization of a dream.
Saldana, who recently appeared in the musical/dance film "Center Stage," and who will next appear in "Drum Line," and Manning, who starred in "Crazy/Beautiful" and who will next appear in "White Oleander," both remember that their connection with Spears and with each other was practically immediate. That initial bonding experience helped the young actresses get into their roles, even though many aspects of their characters were foreign to their own personal lives.
For Saldana, while she didn't exactly relate to her character being the homecoming queen type, she did love the challenge of helping Kit grow. In fact, that's what attracted her to the role as well as to the entire project in the first place. "I worked as a peer educator, performing in high schools, hospitals and prisons, and I encountered the topics we cover in the film with so many of those people I helped. And Kit, my character, she just wants to be a Bridal Barbie. I mean, that's how far her dreams and goals went. So what the movie is saying, is there's nothing wrong with that, but why just have one dream when you can have so many!" says Saldana.
Manning feels like there are some elements of her character that parallel her own life in that both she and Mimi are strong and independent individuals who make their own way through the world. The fact that her character had the most difficult life of the three, however, is a part of the story line that wasn't exactly easy for her to portray. "Because of my character's circumstances, she is a little bit more sensitive at times, and on certain days, it really got to me," Manning says, "I mean, I totally felt just like Mimi would have felt - scared, confused and even ugly. This role was the most risk I've ever taken, and I learned how much I love to act."
The experience on the set was pretty much the same for Spears, Saldana and Manning as it was for their characters Lucy, Kit and Mimi - totally bonding. And the same held true with how the girls connected with their male co-star Anson Mount, who portrays Ben, the musician who gives them a lift across the country. For Mount, playing Britney Spears' love interest was definitely a plus, but the quality of the movie and what it was about was also key to his accepting the role. "'Crossroads' is about relinquishing your stranglehold on life so that you can actually live your life. In fact, everybody's dreams in the film, or their ideas of what they think their lives should be, changes," says Mount. Mount adds that his character Ben is kind of an enigma to the girls. Because of all the rumors that have been circulating around town about him, the girls find themselves drawn to him but they're also a little afraid of him. The way Mount sees it, the intrigue about Ben is the perfect cinematic device for slowing down the love relationship that develops between his character and Spears'. "Lucy and Ben have an immediate physical attraction, and because of these misunderstandings about his past, their romance gets halted a little. It's great because it gives us time to really discover each other. In the process, we learn that we have sort of the same misgivings about life, and we find support in one another in this crazy time of our young adulthood," Mount explains.
For Spears, her co-star lent her just the kind of support she wanted for not only her first acting experience, but also for her first onscreen love scene. They met in New York where Mount was making "City By The Sea" with Robert De Niro, and Mount remembers the meeting very well because it was what clinched his taking part in the film. "Britney was really shy, and I asked her, 'Are you a little scared of making a movie'?' And when she said that she was, I thought, wow, she's gonna be somebody who is really cool to work with. I mean, I'm scared every time I step in front of the camera, and it takes that sort of honesty, that real vulnerability to get into the soul of a character. And Brit's got that insight. She's got that and she's got grace," recalls Anson.
"Sex and the City" star Kim Cattrall, who portrays Lucy's estranged mother, likens her experience of working with such a bright young star on the rise to watching a blossom opening. "The greatest thing for me as a seasoned actress is to see somebody just starting out," says Cattrall, "It's sort of like watching this little flower that you want to nurture and bring along. I think it's very courageous for someone who has already established themselves in one part of the entertainment business to branch out into another. But Britney is a superstar, and she has so many fans that simply want to see more of her. It was a natural progression for her to expand her horizons, and this film is a really good choice for her cinematic debut."
Spears' character Lucy, according to Cattrall, must also draw on an innate courage since she is on a risky'quest that threatens her emotional well being. "We all have a quest in life, and Lucy's is finding her mother. Once she does, she can put that to rest and get on with her life as opposed to always being connected to this phantom figure," explains Cattrall.
Admitting that one of the things she loved most about working on "Crossroads" was having the popularity of playing Britney Spears' mom, Cattrall is quick to add that even more important was being involved with a film that gets to the heart of the teenage experience. "I think that the cinematic world needs to raise the bar for honesty, especially for movies involving young people," says Cattrall adding, "And I think that it's really wonderful that this film can bring reality-based issues to the forefront and still be entertaining."
Veteran actor and one of the original cast members of the critically-acclaimed "Saturday Night Live," Dan Aykroyd, who portrays Lucy's overprotective, but loving father, couldn't agree more. He was attracted to the movie not only because he saw it as being as up and positive as its young star, but also because the script struck him as a very truthful, honest piece of work. "There is a certain purity to this film, with a sense of fun and adventure. I saw myself in it as this pivotal anchor, and I could certainly relate to the role of Lucy's dad, especially since I've got three daughters of my own," says Aykroyd.
Describing "Crossroads" as a journey that most young people will make at some point in their lives, Aykroyd believes that both teenagers and adults will enjoy the film. "It's reality," he explains. "Children and their parents will relate to it because it's about things they've already gone through or are going to go through sooner or later." Aykroyd, who says he chooses roles and movies based on their ability to endure through time, believes he'll be showing "Crossroads" to his grandchildren. Like many of the characters he's portrayed, he's proud of the part he played in this film, and he will add it to his collection of memorable characters. "I've been a ghostbuster, a conehead and a Blues Brother," Aykroyd jokes, "Now who else on the planet can say that?"
And as for his young co-star, well, he thinks she's out of this world. "Britney's plugged somewhere into the universe, and she's harnessing some great force," muses Aykroyd, "She has the makings of greatness." 

It was important to both Carli and director Tamra Davis that "Crossroads" wasn't simply a vehicle for Spears to sing. They didn't want to make an extended music video, or just have a string of musical sequences. They wanted a full-blown coming-of-age adventure with music woven into the plot.
To keep audiences focused on the story that "Crossroads" has to tell, Carli says that she and screenwriter Shonda Rhimes looked very carefully at a lot of movies with music in them. "We looked at films that worked and didn't work, checking out the timing and the placement of every song," remembers Carli, "and we found that ultimately it all boils down to character development. If your characters are three dimensional, they'll tell you how to put the music in the film."
It was then up to the director to separate the superstar Britney Spears from the character Lucy, and Davis recalls one particular scene in the karaoke bar that was a particular challenge. "We set up the idea that Lucy could sing and dance in the beginning when she's bopping around her room using a spoon for a microphone," explains Davis. "We did this so that when Lucy busts out with 'I Love Rock 'N' Roll' in the karaoke bar, it doesn't come out of nowhere that she's got some talent. And we didn't choreograph the scene, either, so that audiences would feel they were seeing Lucy sing, and not Britney."

 

Spears remembers drawing on memories of her early career to stay in character, since at first it was her inclination to 'just let loose" and do what audiences expect of her. "I took myself back to when I had to prove myself to people who didn't know who I was since that's how Lucy would have felt," recalls Spears, adding that her favorite part in the scene, however, was in the end when Lucy finally does gain confidence. "That's when I could be a little bit of Britney again. That's when I could let loose, go crazy and have fun!"
While all the music in "Crossroads" plays an important part, according to Spears, the two main songs, "Overprotected" and "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman," lyrically tell the story best. "That's how Lucy feels," explains Spears about "Overprotected", "She's tired of her dad telling her what to do when she knows in her heart what she wants, and the song is saying just that."
The ballad "I'm Not, A Girl, Not Yet A Woman," stems from a poem by the same title that Lucy has written in her journal. Basically highlighting the theme of the film, the song identifies the experience not just Lucy is going through, but also that of her rediscovered friends Mimi and Kit. "It's a pretty song and very heartfelt," says Spears. "It says, there are days that you just cry because nothing is going right, and you don't feel good about yourself. But bottom line is, everything's going to be okay because you're going to find the inner strength to figure yourself out. We all go through it," admits Spears, "and I totally relate to the words of this song. I believe any girl can."
"I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman" was written by veteran Spears producer Mark Martin, who enlisted the British artist Dido to come up with the lyrics. There will not be a soundtrack album for "Crossroads."
Essential behind scenes and providing moving transitions is the stirring musical score. Written by premiere composer Trevor Jones, who scored such films as "The Last of the Mohicans," "Sea of Love" and most recently "From Hell," the powerful music swelling in the background throughout "Crossroads" is conducted by Jones himself and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. 

Britney's "Crossroads" Style

With the help of hair pro Lori McCoy-Bell, Britney has not only launched an acting career, she's got a movie-star mane to match.
Not only did McCoy-Bell enjoy Britney's personality, she had a great time managing her mane. Spears' hairstyles evolved throughout the movie, right along with the changes in her character.
For early scenes, Lucy is sweet and proper, and her hair is arranged in a smooth, face-framing flip. No matter what the style, McCoy-Bell began Britney's  look by boosting volume and protecting tresses with a product by "Phyto." She coaxed the hair into a flip with a blow-dryer and round brush and finished off  with a large-barrel curling iron.
"As time goes by, in the film, Lucy gets a little bit wilder and a bit more care-free, so we tried to let more of a natural wave come in," McCoy-Bell revealed. The ultimate coif challenge, Britney's character also spends a lot of time with the windows down in the car. "It was realty hard to keep her hair looking the  same for every angle of the shot because of the wind," the hair stylist divulges, "I had to just let it go. But its natural - it's her." McCoy-Bell also beat the breeze by clipping Britney's blonde tresses into a casual upsweep, the perfect style for a road-trip movie.
In the film's big finish, Lucy performs onstage for a California audience. "This is where a little bit of the real Britney came out in the movie." McCoy-Bell  recalls. Its also the only style Ms. Spears really felt strongly about. In most cases, she gave her stylist a lot of creative control but for the finale performance  she wanted her hair straight.
And the effect is dazzling. Sleek and sensuous, Britney's tresses give off a golden glow under the stage lights. As usual, she leaves her audience begging for more.