Back in 2021, when the Framing Britney Spears documentary was released, many people were shocked by the harsh way the media treated Britney. But actress Jennifer Love Hewitt found herself deeply moved, and surprised to realize she had experienced something very similar. In an interview with Vulture, she shared that while watching the documentary, she began crying, not just for Spears, but for herself.
Hewitt was only a teenager when she shot to fame in the late ’90s with hits like Party of Five, Can’t Hardly Wait, and I Know What You Did Last Summer. Back then, the intense media attention on her looks was seen as normal, and even she didn’t fully understand how harmful it was. But watching Britney’s story brought back all the emotions she had buried.
The 9-1-1 star recalled being only 18 when I Know What You Did Last Summer was released in 1997. She said it bothers her even more now, as an adult, than it did back then. “Before I even knew what sex was, I was a sex symbol,” she reflected. That early pressure left a lasting mark on how she views herself. She also mentioned that staying out of the spotlight and away from the party scene helped her avoid the kind of media obsession Spears faced. In fact, she didn’t drink alcohol until she was 25.
Instead of fighting the media narrative directly, Hewitt chose to focus on her craft. She explained that acting was her way of pushing back against how people tried to define her by her appearance. She was determined to show her real talent and let her performances speak louder than the headlines.
Now, as she returns for the upcoming reboot of I Know What You Did Last Summer, Hewitt is approaching the project from a completely new place in her life. She’s more than twice the age she was when the original film came out and sees this as a moment of “passing the baton”, similar to what Sigourney Weaver once told her while filming Heartbreakers in 2001.
Weaver reminded her that every actress eventually transitions from being the young newcomer to becoming the seasoned mentor. Hewitt recently shared that same thought with actress Chase Sui Wonders, who will be stepping into the franchise. She told her, “In my mind, I still feel like I am the ingénue, but I’m not. And I just realized that I’m here to be OK with that.”
Hewitt’s honesty offers a powerful look at how fame, media, and age can shape an actress’s life. She continues to grow, reflect, and lead by example as both a performer and a woman who has lived through the spotlight and come out stronger.
