Britney Spears reveals she turned down role in Chicago because she feared her obsessive method acting would make her ‘become a KILLER’ – as she admits struggle to shrug off Crossroads role drove Justin Timberlake insane
- The Toxic hitmaker, 41, has opened up about her acting career in her memoir
- She ‘didn’t know what was real anymore’ while starring in Crossroads
- READ MORE: Britney sobs as she reads scenes with Ryan Gosling during breathtaking audition for The Notebook
Britney Spears has revealed her obsession with method acting while filming Crossroads not only infuriated her ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake – but also rendered her too terrified to take on the role of a killer in Chicago.
The Toxic hitmaker, 41, has opened up about her fixation with getting into characters’ minds in her new tell-all book The Woman In Me, in which she admits to becoming so engrossed with playing Lucy Wagner in the 2002 coming-of-age drama that she ‘didn’t know what was real anymore’.
Britney, who starred alongside Anson Mount, 50, Zoe Saldana, 45, Taryn Manning, 44, and Kim Cattrall, 67, revealed her struggle to let go of Lucy when filming wrapped left Justin asking: ‘Who are you?’
‘This is embarrassing to say, but it’s like a cloud or something came over me and I just became this girl named Lucy,’ she said.
Britney Spears, pictured with her Crossroads co-star Anson Mount, became obsessed with her character Lucy Wagner while filming the 2002 film
The Toxic hitmaker, 41, revealed in her tell-all memoir that she struggled to differentiate between her life and Lucy’s during filming
‘When the camera came on, I was her, and then I couldn’t tell the difference between when the camera was on and when it wasn’t.
‘I know that seems stupid, but it’s the truth. I took it that seriously. I took it seriously to the point where Justin said, “Why are you walking like that? Who are you?”
‘All I can say is it’s a good thing Lucy was a sweet girl writing poems about how she was “not a girl, not yet a woman”, and not a serial killer.’
Britney and NSYNC singer Justin dated between 1999 and 2002 – when he ended their relationship with a text message. She recently revealed she had an abortion while they were together as he ‘wasn’t ready’ to be a father when they were 19.
The singer said her fixation with method acting saw her walking, talking, and carrying herself differently while filming the movie, as she branded the process an ‘occupational hazard’.
‘I was someone else for months while I filmed Crossroads,’ she continued. ‘Still to this day, I bet the girls I shot that movie with think, “She’s a little quirky…” If they thought that, they were right…
‘I hope I never get close to that occupational hazard again.
Britney revealed that her ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake was irritated by her method acting
She dated the NSYNC singer between 1999 and 2002 – and recently revealed she had an abortion while they were together
Her bombshell memoir, The Woman In Me, is out for release on October 24
‘Living that way, being half yourself and half a fictional character, is messed up. After a while you don’t know what’s real anymore.’
Britney was unsure about whether she wanted to act again after Crossroads – but admits she was tempted to return to the industry after being approached by executives to star in the 2002 film Chicago.
Of course, the pop star eventually turned down a part in the award-winning movie, which saw Renee Zellweger scoop a best actress Oscar nomination for her portrayal of killer housewife Roxie Hart.
‘Chicago would have been fun,’ Britney writes. ‘It’s all dance pieces – my favorite kind: prissy, girly follies, Pussycat Doll-like, serve-off your-corset moves.
‘I wish I’d taken that offer. I would have gotten to play a villain who kills a man, and sings and dances while doing it, too.’
Voicing her regret, she added: ‘I probably could have found ways, gotten training, to keep from becoming a Chicago character the way that I had with Lucy in Crossroads. I wish I’d tried something different.’
Britney was unsure about returning to acting after Crossroads – but was tempted by Chicago
Renee Zellwegger was awarded an Oscar nomination for her role as Roxie Hart in the 2002 film Chicago
Britney auditioned for the lead role opposite Ryan Gosling, 42, in The Notebook in 2002
While Britney has detailed her confliction over acting in her book, DailyMail.com exclusively obtained her audition for The Notebook, in which she read lines with Ryan Gosling.
The fabled audition tape, hidden for two decades by Hollywood casting director Matthew Barry revealed just how close the singer, who was 21 at the time, came to clinching the lead role after putting on a stunningly emotional display during her screen test.
According to Matthew, she beat out a slew of other hopefuls, including Claire Danes, 44, Scarlett Johansson, 38, and Amy Adams, 49, and was the front-runner for the part of Allie – before the movie’s creators ultimately settled on Rachel McAdams, now 44.
Recalling her screen test in her upcoming memoir, she said: ‘The Notebook casting came down to me and Rachel McAdams, and even though it would have been fun to reconnect with Ryan Gosling after our time on The Mickey Mouse Club, I’m glad I didn’t do it.
‘If I had, instead of working on my album In the Zone, I’d have been acting like a 1940s heiress day and night.’
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