It’s very easy to forget that Britney Spears isn’t just a singer and an author but also, an actor! She played the lead role in the flick Crossroads: a coming-of-age film from 2002, written by Grey’s Anatomy writer Shonda Rhimes.
While her acting career took a backseat to her incredible pop career — potentially due to Crossroads not exactly being critically acclaimed — her name was still being mentioned in casting meetings. And for one early 2000′s film in particular, we can definitely see why she was considered.
The film that Britney Spears was almost cast in
Speaking on the Hollywood Gold podcast, Legally Blonde writer Kiwi Smith discussed the making of the film and the process of casting the role of the iconic, unforgettable Elle Woods.
On the podcast, she revealed that the “Bend And Snap” scene was actually her own creation after a few cocktails and that many studios turned down the film as it felt too similar to Clueless.
Bet they’re kicking themselves still to this day.
In even more surprising news, though, Britney Spears was almost chosen for the titular role. Smith said: “The name Britney Spears was briefly floated but once Election (1999 comedy film with Reese Witherspoon) came out, we spoke about Reese… It just felt like ‘oh my god, this is the woman to play Elle’.”
As much as I love Britney and think she has the perfect cadence to deliver some of Elle’s lines, Reese Witherspoon really was the perfect person to play the role. The team didn’t consider anybody else once they landed on her, in fact.
Another gorgeous tidbit that Smith offered was, during the pitches, the team all wore varying amounts of pink. There’s committing to the bit and then there’s the Legally Blonde gang.
Finally, in incredibly 2000′s vibes, Phantom Planet played an impromptu set at the opening night afterparty for Legally Blonde.
Because of course they did.
Legally Blonde is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.