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- THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Crossroads' 19 years later
THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Crossroads' 19 years later
- "Crossroads," written by Shonda Rhimes and starring Britney Spears, premiered in 2002.
- Now Spears is on a hiatus from performing and in a legal battle over her conservatorship.
- See what her costars Zoe Saldana, Taryn Manning, Kim Cattrall, and others are up to now .
Nineteen years ago, on February 15, 2002, pop icon Britney Spears made her feature film debut in "Crossroads."
With a screenplay written by "Grey's Anatomy" creator Shonda Rhimes and costars including Zoe Saldana, the movie survives as more than just as a cultural touchstone for Britney Spears fans. "Crossroads" is a nostalgic road trip with a few of the biggest names in movies and television today.
Keep reading to see where the stars of "Crossroads" are now.
Britney spears stars in "Crossroads" as Lucy, a high school senior whose mother abandoned her when she was a young girl.
But upon graduating, Lucy decides to go find her mom in Arizona and reunite with her. She drives there with her childhood best friends, Mimi and Kit, who were heading to California in order to audition for a singing competition.
Since the premiere of "Crossroads," Spears has released six albums and completed a residency in Las Vegas. Her fans have started the #FreeBritney movement in support of ending her conservatorship.
In February 2019, Spears announced she was going on a "work hiatus" and canceled her second Las Vegas residency. Now she's in a legal battle over the status of her conservatorship, an arrangement detailed in a 2021 New York Times documentary episode called "Framing Britney Spears."
To learn more about the #FreeBritney movement and Spears' conservatorship, read Insider's full report here.
"Crossroads" opens with an awkward prom night when Lucy and her friend Henry plan to have sex for the first time with one another.
Henry, played by Justin Long, pleads with Lucy to go through with the plan because he doesn't want to go to college without ever having sex, but Lucy doesn't feel comfortable, so they part ways.
Long has continued starring in movies and TV shows, including two Netflix series: "F is for Family," and "Giri/Haji."
Long will also voice a character in the upcoming Netflix animated series "Masters of the Universe: Revelation."
Long is also philanthropically involved in a foundation called The Girls Home, a Nicaraguan facility where "socially orphaned" children are cared for and given a home until they reach adulthood.
One of Lucy's best friends from childhood, Mimi, is played by Taryn Manning.
Five months pregnant and eager to get out of town, Mimi is the one who encourages the estranged friends to reunite for a road trip to California.
Taryn Manning was launched back into the spotlight with her role on Netflix's "Orange Is the New Black."
Manning's performance as inmate Tiffany "Pennsatucky" Doggett on "Orange Is the New Black" received critical acclaim throughout the series' run. Now Manning is costarring in several upcoming movies, including a thriller titled "Karen" (in reference to the meme-nickname for racist white women).
Manning and her brother, Kellin, formed a band in the early 2000s called Boomkat. Manning also makes music as a solo artist — her most recent single, "Time Wasted," came out in 2020.
The third friend in the "Crossroads" trio is Kit, played by Zoe Saldana.
Kit joins the road trip so she can visit her fiancé, Dylan, in California. Things go horribly wrong in that department, but the resulting events bring the three friends closer together once again.
Saldana has since starred in three major blockbuster franchises: "Avatar," "Star Trek," and "Guardians of the Galaxy."
In 2018, Saldana's prolific Hollywood career was cemented with a star on the Walk of Fame.
Her role as Gamora in the successful Marvel franchise "Guardians of the Galaxy" led to a key part in the billion-dollar 2018 summer blockbuster hit "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame."
Saldana will also costar in the four coming "Avatar" sequels, the first of which is expected in 2022 after years of delays.
Anson Mount costarred in "Crossroads" as Ben, the guy responsible for driving Lucy and her friends across the country.
Ben and Lucy eventually get close over the course of the movie as the fresh high school grad starts figuring out what she wants out of her life.
Anson Mount is now starring on CBS's "Star Trek: Discovery" TV series.
This TV series is a separate reboot from the movie trilogy featuring Zoe Saldana. "Star Trek: Discovery" is streaming exclusively on CBS All Access.
Mount also had a major role on the ABC Marvel series "Inhumans," which was canceled after one season in 2017.
Actor, comedian, and writer Dan Aykroyd starred in the movie as Lucy's dad, Pete.
Pete raised Lucy as a single parent after her mother left both of them. By the movie's end, he has to contend with Lucy deciding to strike out on her own, too.
The "Saturday Night Live" and "Blue Brothers" star was one of the biggest stars attached to "Crossroads" when it premiered in 2002.
Aykroyd continued to star in various movies and on TV shows throughout the 2000s. Now Aykroyd will appear in a highly anticipated third "Ghostbusters" movie, which will premiere in November 2021 after the COVID-19 pandemic delayed its release.
Last but not least, "Sex and the City" star Kim Cattrall played Lucy's estranged mother.
During her brief appearance in the movie, Lucy's mom Caroline revealed to her daughter that she had a whole new family in Arizona and didn't want to be a part of her life.
Cattrall's biggest role to date remains HBO's "Sex and the City" and the subsequent two movies.
Reported feuding between Cattrall and her "Sex and the City" costars has prevented a third movie from ever being made. She will also not appear in the upcoming "Sex and the City" revival series on HBO Max.
As with Anson Mount, now you can watch Cattrall on CBS All Access. She starred on a new 2018 series called "Tell Me a Story." She also played the lead role in a 2020 Fox series called "Filthy Rich," which was canceled after one season.
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