Britney Spears' Electric Energy Shines in 'Overprotected' Video Shoot After Justin Timberlake Breakup
Britney Spears’ 'Overprotected' director recalls her fiery energy during the music video shoot, following a breakup text with Justin Timberlake
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After Britney Spears ended her relationship with Justin Timberlake in 2001, Chris Applebaum, the director of the "Overprotected" music video, presented her with two choices. She could either halt the video shoot or use it as an opportunity to show Timberlake that he had lost the most valuable person in his life. The subsequent events have now become part of history.
During the music video shoot, Applebaum, who is now 53, remembered Spears, who is now 41, showing him a message from Timberlake, who is now 42, that seemed to indicate the end of their relationship. Applebaum acknowledged this to everyone present and later revealed during an interview with ABC News on Thursday, November 2, that ultimately Spears was given the final say in the matter.
Britney Spears/YouTube
After a minor break, the singer returned to set and was “on fire,” per Applebaum. “This was the Britney that everyone knows and loves,” he added.
Spears and Timberlake were in a relationship from 1999 to 2002. They met on the set of the Mickey Mouse Club. In her recently released memoir, The Woman In Me, Spears revealed that she received a breakup "text message" while filming the music video for "Overprotected (Darkchild Remix)". She described feeling completely shocked and devastated by Timberlake's decision to end their relationship.
She commented on the aftermath, mentioning that while she was comatose in Louisiana, he was happily roaming around Hollywood.
In her book, Spears extensively described the highs and lows of her life, with a particular emphasis on the true events that unfolded between her and Timberlake. The "Toxic" singer also candidly admitted to having undergone an abortion during their time together.
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"Justin was clearly unhappy about the pregnancy. He expressed that we were not prepared to take on the responsibility of having a baby in our lives, emphasizing our young age," Spears expressed. "Although I anticipate backlash, I acquiesced to not proceeding with the pregnancy. I am uncertain if that was the correct decision. If the choice had been solely mine, I would never have made that decision. However, Justin was certain that he did not want to become a father."
Spears was in a state of distress, shedding tears and sobbing on the bathroom floor, as she reminisced about Timberlake's effort to console her by playing his guitar.
Unbeknownst to Timberlake, he had no idea that the intricacies of their previous romantic connection would be unveiled in Spears' book. In fact, he went as far as disabling comments on his Instagram account following the book's publication.
According to a source, Justin had expected Britney to speak in a more vague manner about their challenges, rather than revealing all their intimate details. He feels let down that she chose to go this route years after their breakup."
Shortly after the release of The Woman In Me, Timberlake and his family, including his wife Jessica Biel, were spotted disembarking from a plane in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Contrary to fan speculation about him keeping a low profile after Spears' book release, Timberlake did not "flee" to Mexico, according to a separate source exclusively informed Us. The insider clarified that his trip had been planned for months by him and his family and had no connection to Britney's memoir.
The source went on to say that Timberlake is “focused on his family and living in the present,” however, he’s “supportive of Britney’s decision to put her truth out there” overall.
