In a revealing new E! documentary, I Am Britney Jean, the 32-year-old megastar opens up about the thundering disparity between her stage act and the real her.
'I have always been kind of shy, since I was a little girl. It’s who I am to be modest, so I really can’t help it,' said the Gimme More singer, while wringing her hands and fretfully staring at the ceiling, as she is prone to do when interviewed.
'I turn into this different person, seriously,
bipolar disorder,' Britney Spears opened up about suffering from social
anxiety in her new documentary I Am Britney Jean
Known for her outlandish stage acts and erotic videos the Outrageous singer said she has to step out of herself to play the role: 'It’s almost like it’s my alter ego when I get on
stage.
'I turn into this different person seriously. Bipolar disorder,' remarked the star, who famously shaved her head and crumbled under the pressure of fame in 2007.
Bi-polar: Britney joked it is almost as if she is bi-polar because she is so different on stage than she is off
Overcoming her shyness: Britney revealed in her
new documentary, I Am Britney Spears, that she has had to overcome her
shyness in order to become a massive superstar
The documentary, which aired on the E! channel in the US on Sunday, chronicled the Toxic star in the frantic four month preparation for her ambitious two-year Los Vegas residency at Planet Hollywood.
In video diary segments Spears talks of her evolution from pageant child to superstar:
'When I first started out I didn’t care what anyone thought of me, I was just happy to be there… then I started to realise there are a lot of mean things out there on the Internet,' she said.
Becoming another person: Known for her
outlandish stage acts and erotic videos, the Outrageous singer said she
has to step out of herself to play the role
Girl on fire: Britney appeared slightly uncomfortable as she took a series of daring photographs
Harking back to the height of her career and her subsequent collapse she said: 'There was a time when I couldn't leave the house without about 20 cars following me.
'It was a very difficult time for me…I felt really alienated.
'They [the paparazzi] kind of eased up after I didn't come out of the house for like two years,' she quipped wryly.
Work bitch! Britney explained: 'It's my alter-ego when I get on stage I turn into this different person'
Sexy: Despite her shyness, Britney Spears still managed to make a sexy video for Work Bitch
Modest: It's who I am to be modest, so I really can't help it,' Britney said in her new E! documentary
'I'm not really made for this industry because I am so shy. It’s not something that I deal with so well,' mused the one-time X Factor judge, while simultaneously conceding that she ‘doesn’t know anything different’ because she has been performing so long.
The performer claimed she gets her anxious streak from her father.
'Backstage I catch myself doing the same hand mannerisms as him and worrying and I'm like "Oh my god I’m turning into my f***ing father right now. This is horrible."
Mirror image: Britney joked she is turning into her father and conservator Jamie Spears
Taking charge: Britney's father Jamie has been in charge of her business and financial affairs since her meltdown in 2007
Dad'll fix it: Britney's father joked about his 'redneck' skills as he fixed an air conditioning machine with duct tape
Embarrassed: Britney asked her manager Larry Rudolph to get her father away from set during a kissing scene for her video
Middle man: Larry was in charge of acting as a middle man between Britney and her father
Getting ready: Britney and her co-star made conversation before getting intimate on set
Interviews and large-scale promotions are not Spears' strong point and she is inclined to pull faces and mangle her hands.
'I'm not good in large groups, I just make everything more awkward,' she smiled.
Spears' Vegas residency was deemed to be the most ambitious of her career. As promotion 1,300 Britney lookalikes were assembled in the desert.
Ambitious: Spears' Vegas residency has been deemed to be the most ambitious of her career
Fit: Britney has been criticised in the past for
putting on weight and being sluggish on stage but looks fitter than
ever for her residency
Challenge: Britney has brought in some new, young choreographers and she said they are working her harder than ever
Abs - olutely fabulous: Britney showed off her washboard abs, which she has gained thanks to months of rehearsals for Vegas
No expense was spared on the set, which is intended to be 'a representation of Britney's imagination' and included a fiery waterfall, pyrotechnic lighting and colossal 'three storey' tree.
A self-professed stickler Spears appears to favour a hands-on approach to gig planning – from designing her own sets and costumes to picking her own dancers.
'Being a perfectionist really sucks, it's a lot of pressure,' said the mother-of-two.
Joking around: The busy mother-of-two makes time
for her two sons Jayden and Sean whenever she can and the trio had some
fun at the piano in the doc
Just the two of us: Britney spent time with her son as she took a break from rehearsals
Motherhood: Britney's former husband Kevin
Federline shares custody with her but the singer got to spend
Thanksgiving with her sons
Family time: Britney and her family enjoyed a phone call with her sister Jamie Lynn on Thanksgiving
Love: Britney gushed about her love for
boyfriend David Lucado but admitted she has been so busy that they have
not had time to see much of each other as she rehearses
Dancing 24 songs per night there was huge quantities of choreography to master.
'I'm very hard on myself…but that gives me the motivation in rehearsals to make it the best it can be each time,' said Spears who appeared almost tearful in some segments of the show.
Britney's father often travels with her, and makes himself useful by mending things.
Excited: Britney spoke about her excitement at the upcoming residency but admitted the spotlight makes her uncomfortable
Emotional: Britney went through a series of emotions in the documentary as she opened up about her social anxiety
'This is all I've known': While Britney has been famous for years, she admitted it isn't always easy
'I don't go anywhere without duct tape,' he announced.
But his presence on set makes his daughter feel awkward during her sexier scenes.
'She doesn't like shooting these kind of scenes with him around so I have to be the one to deliver the bad news to him, that's he’s got to…adios,' said her long-time manager Larry Rudolph.
Biggest fans: Britney's sons Jayden and Sean cheered their mother on during rehearsals
Impressive: Britney and her dancers learned routines for an incredible 24 songs in a short space of time
Having kids has changed her outlook: 'I love sex. I think sex is great, but I feel a little different about it now that I am older. Sometimes I feel like I am 20 and sometimes I feel like I am 50.'
As the opening night approached the fatigued stage crew began working on a '24-hour schedule'.
The dancers were also close to breaking point.
'They're dancing for 12-hours a day, every day someone gets a new injury,' said the choreographer.
Laughing manically he added: 'The other day I saw one girl spew into her hand and run off stage…that's how hard they are getting pushed.'
Attempting to add a new song Alien to the set list at the eleventh hour added extra pressure.
'I just think it's one of those songs that draws you in every time,' Spears said about the tune, which she says describes the feeling of withdrawing from the world, and 'trying not to do that'.
Favourite: Britney admitted the final two weeks
before a show are her favourite as she gets to know the stage and
perfect her moves
Injury: Britney pushed herself so hard she got 'dancer's whiplash' and struggled in rehearsals
Excited: Britney tried out a stunt on stage which saw her fly through the air on a harness
'I tend to go inward when I’m under pressure. I keep it all in. When I'm really nervous I go really quiet.
The Thanksgiving holiday was spent at the home of Lynne and Jamie Spears, Britney's parents, along with her boyfriend David Lucado.
'He's a simple guy, he’s funny he's passionate and he gets what I do so it kind of works out, ' she said.
Angelic: Britney filmed scenes for the show
where she descended from the ceiling - while bathed in heavenly light
and wearing an angel costume
So much to do: It's not just rehearsals Britney
has to worry about, the singer filmed a series of sequences to play
while she is changing her outfits
'This is a big year for me, it’s the first show I’ve done in two years…I am trying to let myself relax a little bit but not too much because I know that I have a lot ahead of me,' she sighed, while admitting she had 'hardly seen' Lucado in weeks.
Her sister Jamie Lynne spoke fondly of her megastar sibling: 'No one is harder on my sister that she is on herself,' she said, naming Britney as 'her second mama'.
'But I can kick her ass, any time of day. She doesn't mess with me because we’ve gotten into wrestling and she's like "Jamie Lynne's strong daddy!" '
Giving back: Britney paid a visit to the Ryan Seacrest Foundation where she met with sick children
Excited: Britney's young fans were so excited to
meet their idol and the singer took time out of her rehearsal schedule
to spend time with them
Doting mother: Britney, who has spoken of her
desire to have a daughter, joked she wanted to take this adorable little
girl home with her
'She nails me to the ground every time,' agreed Spears.
From a religious family Spears believes in a higher purpose: 'I definitely believe in forces out there other than us. Angels, guardians, protectors. I definitely believe in heaven, a place beyond our wildest dreams,' she said.
Now a veteran on the gig circuit Spears' says her 'favourite part' is the final two weeks' prep before the first show.
Preparation: Britney's show will begin in Las Vegas on December 27 and run for two years
Awe: Britney couldn't contain her excitement as she got her first look at the set in her new documentary
Team Britney: The singer was surrounded by her team as she got ready to finally practise her moves on her new stage
'The energy you feel is so electric. It's so fun.'
Clearly a devoted mother one adorable scene showed her sons Preston, 8, and Jayden, 7, watching open-mouthed as their 'mama' descended from the ceiling - while bathed in heavenly light and donning an angel costume.
'Look at mama,' they gawped.
No expense spared: Britney Spears' Las Vegas show is set to be the most spectacular of her career
Dramatic: Fire is just one of the many shocking elements of Britney's new show
Low point: Britney Spears shaved her head and
checked into rehab at the urging of family members in 2007 as she
struggled to cope
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