If Britney Spears didn’t like her original “Make Me…” music video, would you hold it against her?
Spears’ longtime manager, Larry Rudolph, revealed why he and the pop princess, 34, decided to shoot a second visual for the lead single off her ninth studio album, Glory. Chatting with the Los Angeles Times for an interview published on Wednesday, September 7 , Rudolph, 53, said that there was no clear vision for the earlier footage directed by David LaChapelle.
“It’s really simple. The video just didn’t work. This is the first time we’ve reshot a video, and because it’s Britney there are all kinds of conspiracies,” he told the publication. “Nobody is hiding anything.”
Back in June, Spears took to Instagram to share behind-the-scenes shots of LaChapelle’s video — which showed the blonde beauty clad in minimal clothing standing next to a group of hunky, nearly naked men. However, the singer released the official video for “Make Me…” — this time directed by Randee St. Nicholas — on August 5, following a frustrating round of delays. Though LaChapelle’s version was reportedly too NSFW for Spears’ taste, “Make Me…” 2.0 still showed the mom of two writhing around in an array of barely-there ensembles and getting cozy with a bevy of hard-bodied, shirtless studs.
This isn’t the first time LaChapelle, 53, has worked with Spears. The famed photographer and director, who began his career in the ’80s, photographed Spears for her first Rolling Stone cover in 1999. The All-New Mickey Mouse Club alum, then just 17, slipped into a number of skin-baring outfits — including lingerie — for the now-iconic shoot. At the time, Spears’ tween fans’ parents were outraged by the provocative photos.
Years later, LaChapelle directed the music magnate’s 2004 video for “Everytime,” the heart-wrenching ballad from her fourth studio LP, In the Zone. According to MTV News, the original concept for that video involved the Grammy winner taking pills and drowning in a bathtub. Though the clip featured some of those elements — Spears participated in a nude bath scene — its treatment was ultimately toned down.
Since welcoming sons Sean Preston, 10, and Jayden James, 9, with ex-husband Kevin Federline in 2005 and 2006, respectively, the sex symbol — whose enviable physique has long been celebrated since she burst onto the pop scene in 1998 — has made an effort to keep up her sultry image while still setting a good example for her boys.
In 2013, Spears scratched a number of scenes from her “Work Bitch” video because she felt they were a tad too tantalizing. “I cut out half the video because I am a mother and because, you know, I have children,” she said at the time.
In response, Rudolph released a statement to TMZ, assuring the outlet that his client is never forced to film anything she doesn’t want to. “Britney is never pressured into anything,” he insisted. “She reviews all creative, and for her ‘Work Bitch’ video she discussed toning down some parts in finding a balance of sexy and being a mom.”
