Justin Timberlake, 42, apparently broke up with Britney Spears, 41, in a text message that included just two words, according to Page Six. Director Chris Applebaum spoke with the outlet about the moment the breakup happened and how it left the pop singer in tears while they were filming the music video for her song “Overprotected: The Dark Child Remix” in 2002.
During the two-day shoot, Britney suddenly went missing for about 20-30 minutes, which was a “long time” because it costs “20 grand to sit around,” as Chris explained. He eventually found her in her trailer with smudged eye makeup, holding up her Motorola flip phone, exclaiming, “I can’t believe it. Look at this. This happened.” Chris then read aloud a text from Justin that simply said, “It’s over!!!”
According to Chris, Justin’s message came after he had been trying to reach Britney all day, feeling enraged about her admitted infidelity with choreographer Wade Robson, which she confessed in her new memoir, The Woman in Me. After reading the text, Britney’s longtime assistant and friend, Felicia Culotta, comforted her by putting her arm around her shoulder.
Although Britney was hesitant to finish filming the music video, Chris encouraged her by saying, “If you don’t have it in you, I totally understand … but if you want to go out there and finish this last set-up in the rain, you can show him that he just made the biggest f*cking mistake of his life.”
Britney apparently liked the idea and responded, “You know that? That’s a good idea. I’m going to show him that he blew the best thing he ever had.” She then proceeded to shoot the rain scene with more conviction, as if she were on a mission.
In addition to Chris’ comments, Britney wrote about the breakup in her memoir. She explained that she felt “comatose” as she flew home to Louisiana shortly after it happened. She also expressed her dislike for Justin’s follow-up song, “Cry Me a River,” which was reportedly about their breakup and how she had done him wrong. Britney believed that the song and its accompanying music video portrayed her as a “harlot who’d broken the heart of America’s golden boy,” featuring a woman who resembled her.
