Zoe Saldana, 44, stepped out on Monday, December 12 for the red carpet premiere of Avatar: The Way of Water, and she was asked about another pivotal movie in her career: Crossroads. Zoe told Entertainment Tonight‘s Nischelle Turner that she had an “amazing” experience making the teen drama film that came out over 20 years ago and also starred the one and only Britney Spears in her film debut.
“It was just amazing. I was surrounded by amazing women from the director, Tamra [Davis], to the producers, Carly, and Shonda the writer — Shonda Rhimes. Come on,” Zoe said at the Avatar 2 premiere in LA. “And Britney and Taryn [Manning], myself and Anson Mount — it just felt like it was such a beautiful experience,” she added.
Zoe was asked if she had to mentor Britney, 41, on the film, since the “Toxic” singer was new to acting at the time, but the From Scratch star confirmed that Britney didn’t need help from anyone. “Oh no. Britney was a natural. From the beginning,” Zoe said.
The 2002 coming-of-age road trip tale starred Britney as Lucy, who along with pals Kit (Zoe) and Mimi (Taryn), hits the highway to find herself. The movie, which was written by Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal creator Shonda Rimes, didn’t fare well with critics but made an impressive mark at the box office due, earning $61 million worldwide. Since it’s release, it’s become a cult classic with Britney fans.
The last time Britney reflected on Crossroads was in Aug. 2020, when she revealed on Instagram that she struggled with acne while making the movie. Brit told her followers that she “was so nervous to be on camera,” so she went to the dermatologist for new skincare products and her acne “cleared up quickly” afterwards. Britney was only 20 years old when she starred in Crossroads.