Framing Britney Spears Director Responds to Pop Star’s ‘Humiliating Moments’ Criticism

Framing Britney Spears director Samantha Stark is well aware of Britney’s criticism regarding the documentary’s rehashing of some of her most “humiliating moments.” Though, the director admits to The Hollywood Reporter that she and her team were well-intentioned when creating the Hulu film that’s pushed the #FreeBritney movement forward amid her conservatorship battle. “While we were making the film, we talked a lot about re-traumatizing Britney and her family by showing these moments,” she told the outlet. “Part of the reason it’s called Framing Britney Spears is there are these still-photo frames that were humiliating to her. We thought it was really important to pull outside the frame because so many people had all these assumptions based on one frame, one still image that they saw.”

She continued: “In the end, we felt like we had to put some of them in because we wanted people to have more context. We always tried to have her talk back to [the paparazzi] if we could. She 100 percent deserves to be mad that we’re still looking at those photos, because it’s ridiculous that we’re still looking at them, and they shouldn’t have been there in the first place. As much as I want to explain myself to her, I totally understand where she’s coming from.” As the positive side effect that was originally intended to happen, Stark says “we agreed we would never make fun of Britney Spears, and we all took that to heart.” She added, “It’s been incredible that it feels like now the world is also taking that to heart.”

As the latest update to her conservatorship battle, Spears’ new attorney has filed a motion with the court to have her father Jamie Spears removed as a conservator of her personal and financial estate. “Every day that passes is another day of avoidable harm and prejudice to Ms. Spears and the Estate,” the attorney claimed in court documents. “Ms. Spears’ emotional health and well-being, must be, and are, the paramount concern.” Jamie Spears’ and his attorney haven’t spoken about the case publicly, but Spears and his team have made it clear that he has no plans to step down. “Like any parent, he doesn’t always see eye-to-eye on what Britney may want. But Jamie believes every single decision he has made has been in her best interest,” his attorney told CNN in March.