'Crossroads' director Tamra Davis recalls bonkers first meeting with underwear-clad, hung-over Britney Spears
Tamra Davis had the pedigree — but not necessarily the interest — to direct Britney Spears in the pop icon’s 2002 film debut, Crossroads, a teen road trip drama co-starring future Guardians of the Galaxy star Zoe Saldana and written by future mogul Shonda Rhimes. Davis was a successful music video director turned film director who helmed the ’90s comedy favorites CB4, Billy Madison, and Half Baked.
But before turning down the gig, Davis agreed to meet with Spears in Las Vegas. “I fly there, and it’s like 10 or 11 in the morning, and I go and knock on her door in this big suite in some fancy hotel, and she opens the door and she’s in underwear and a T-shirt,” Davis told Yahoo Entertainment during a recent Facebook Live interview (watch clip above) commemorating the 20th anniversary of Half Baked. “And she’s like, ‘Man, I was hammered last night!’”
It was an unexpected introduction to the singer, who had become a superstar after the releases of two hit albums, …Baby One More Time (1999) and Oops! I Did It Again (2000).
Davis was surprised by the then-20-year-old and ultimately decided to join the production. “I had the best day with her,” the director said. “I saw her become Britney Spears because she had to be on some big thing that night. And how she ran the whole thing.
“… And even as nice and sweet as she was, and charming in a Southern way, she was running the whole thing. I was like, ‘Oh, I like this girl.’”
Watch: Davis reveals how much weed was actually smoked during the making of Half Baked:
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