The Britney Spears documentary Framing Britney Spears (which is streaming with your Hulu subscription), brought audiences into the darker side of media attention. The New York Times Presents episode delved into the “Free Britney Movement” and the misogynistic behavior the singer experienced. Actress Jennifer Love Hewitt got real on why she “started crying” as she connected so strongly to the Britney Spears doc.
Framing Britney Spears showed a lot of disturbing early footage of the pop singer’s misogynistic interviews. We see Spears at the age of 10 being asked by Ed McMahon about her “boyfriends.” Diane Sawyer’s 2003 interview had her asking the “Everytime” singer what she “did” to break ex Justin Timberlake’s heart. After watching the FX on Hulu special herself, Jennifer Love Hewitt expressed to Vulture why she connected so strongly to it:
When I started watching it, I was like, Oh, they talked to me like that. Oh, I started crying for her. And then I realized I was crying for me.
It’s heartbreaking how watching the tragic experience of one child star can bring up the traumatic memories of another's past. Documentary specials like this remind us how Hollywood has failed to protect many young performers from media scrutiny and the lasting emotional scars.
Jennifer Love Hewitt had her share of being objectified by the media during her start in Hollywood. She was dubbed a sex symbol at a young age, previously talking about having to wear small outfits for photo shoots and in movies.
The 9-1-1 star told Vulture about having to wear a little blue top and small skirt in the first I Know What You Did Last Summer and getting asked “inappropriate” questions about her boobs more than about her performance. Hewitt said looking back, she wished she hadn’t laughed off those questions and defended herself if she had known back then how wrong those interviews were.
When Jennifer Love Hewitt returned to the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise, she made sure to work with her stylist and director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson about Julie’s new look. Compared to her character’s sexualized image in the first movie, Hewitt is seen throughout the movie in vintage T-shirts, blazers and jeans.
The Can’t Hardly Wait actress said her wardrobe revamp was very “healing” for her, knowing there’d be no more boob talk this time around. Based on the first images of the slasher movie, Hewitt seriously looks incredible in her jean jacket and honey-toned hair.
As Jennifer Love Hewitt had similar experiences to Britney Spears about misogyny with the press, it’s no wonder the talented actress “started crying” watching Framing Britney Spears. Fortunately, the Heartbreakers actress was able to control the narrative by picking a wardrobe that was right for bringing back Julie and reclaiming her character on her own terms. You can see her 2025 movie release I Know What You Did Last Summer in theaters now.
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