Taryn Manning Dishes On What It Was Like Working With Britney Spears On ‘Crossroads’

The world was at the height of peak Britney Spears mania back in 2002, when a little road-trip flick called Crossroads hit theaters and gave us the most iconic version of "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" ever. (Sorry, Joan.)

While putting pop stars in Hollywood movies has become a pretty much de facto practice these days, there was something especially exciting and buzzy about Britney stepping out in her first (and only) starring film role. While Crossroads didn't exactly go on to win any Oscars, the film has become a staple in the pop culture lexicon, and a fan cult favorite for girly millennial sleepovers everywhere.

Starring alongside Britney in the teen movie, Taryn Manning—perhaps most known currently for her role as the polarizing Pennsatucky on Netflix's Orange Is The New Black, as well as a (criminally underrated) pop artist in her own right—recently dished in a interview about what it was like working with the beloved pop star thirteen years ago, painting a vivid picture of the madness that surrounded the music icon back when she was not a girl, not yet a woman.

"I did Crossroads first," Taryn tells Details. "That was like mega-stardom [for Britney]. I have never experienced anything like that in my life! We were shooting in Louisiana, and literally no matter where you looked on set—there were fans everywhere: Screaming little girls with their mothers. The A.D. would have to run over to them and explain that we were trying to film a movie. It was distracting, but at the same time I was like, 'Wow! Holy shit!'"

But of course, by this time in her career, Brit Brit was a seasoned pro at the whole screaming fans thing, as Taryn shares: "Anytime she walked across the set, there was an uproar. And I would be like, 'Britney, they’re waving to you. Wave back!' She had it down. She gives her fans what they want. I learned so much from her."

And much like what other stars and fans alike have said about Spears over the years, the actress also confirmed what we already knew about the pop darling, gushing, "And she is such a sweetheart. That’s one thing I will never forget about her: a very sweet, gentle human being—the person I was around for two months."

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