With the release of Britney Spears: The Singles Collection, MTV News has charted the pop icon’s career through interviews with video directors, industry experts and Spears.
“Britney said she wanted to shoot a scene wearing diamonds and nothing else,’” director Joseph Kahn recalled about her ‘Toxic’ video in 2003. “And I’m like, ‘How do I make this work?’ ” Kahn told MTV News. “She said she wanted to dance. I didn’t like the bikini she was wearing.”
“Joseph’s very ambitious. He’s a professional,” Britney said. “I came up with the concept and threw it out there. … There are jewels all over my body. There’s nothing actually underneath.”
Nude material suit covered in diamonds
The 27–year-old American appears in a suit made of nude material covered in diamonds. In the video she plays a spy out for revenge on her lover.
“It’s basically about a girl addicted to a guy,” Spears told MTV in 2003. “I really like ‘Toxic.’ It’s an upbeat song. It’s really different, that’s why I like it so much. This villain girl, she’ll do anything to get what she wants. She goes through different obstacles.”
In the video, Britney is dressed as a flight attendant, but she’s actually a secret agent in disguise according to director, Kahn. “The plot is pretty nonsensical,” he told MTV News. “It’s just fun. [It's like] James Bond flicks and sex.”
In 2005 the video won a Grammy award for ‘Toxic’ for Best Dance Recording.
