Laura Bell Bundy’s childhood theater résumé includes an unlikely casting sequence: Britney Spears and Natalie Portman both served as her understudy in the same Off-Broadway musical before either became famous.
Bundy originated Tina Denmark in the 1992 production of Ruthless!, with Spears holding the understudy job first and Portman replacing her later. “Britney Spears was my understudy,” Bundy recalled during a new episode of Hey Dude… The 90s Called!, according to Entertainment Weekly. “And then Natalie Portman was my understudy when Britney left.”
Tina is an eight-year-old performer determined to play Pippi Longstocking in her school musical, with the dark comedy taking that ambition to murderous extremes. Bundy was still a child herself when she took on the role that became one of her first major stage credits.
Ruthless! opened at New York’s Players Theatre on March 13, 1992 and ran for 342 performances before closing Jan. 24, 1993.
Britney Spears Had the Understudy Job First and Went On for a Week
Bundy told PEOPLE that Spears was only a few months younger than she was. She remembered knowing Spears during the production but said the two did not spend much time playing together outside work.
Spears also performed Tina rather than simply waiting in the wings for the entire run. In a 2004 Talkin’ Broadway interview, Bundy recalled temporarily leaving the production to make two movies and said Spears took over her part for one week during one of those absences.
Bundy later crossed paths with Spears again after their childhood theater days. She told Playbill in 2007 that Spears had visited her during Hairspray and described their later encounters as friendly.
Bundy and Natalie Portman ‘Instantly Bonded as Friends’
Bundy told Playbill that she and Portman “instantly bonded as friends,” spending time together away from the theater and staying comfortable with each other whenever their paths crossed again as adults.
“There was a real friendship there,” Bundy said. “We hung out and played together as kids.” She added in the new podcast interview that their childhood entertainment included prank calls.
Portman moved into film soon afterward, making her feature debut in Léon: The Professional before returning to the New York stage in the 1997 Broadway revival of The Diary of Anne Frank.
Portman Says She Took Over After Spears Left
Portman independently confirmed the order of the understudies during an appearance on SmartLess. When Britney Spears’ name came up, she corrected the hosts directly: “Britney Spears was the under. I took over for her.” Portman said she was 10 at the time.
A transcript of the conversation also records Portman describing a later reunion with Spears. The former understudies threw a New Year’s party together when they were about 18.
‘Ruthless!’ Helped Shape Bundy’s Musical Comedy Career
Bundy later credited the production with teaching her how to perform musical comedy. In the 2004 Talkin’ Broadway interview, she said the experience influenced the kind of roles she would play as an adult and even came up when she auditioned for Hairspray.
She went on to originate Amber Von Tussle in Hairspray and Elle Woods in Legally Blonde: The Musical, earning a Tony Award nomination for her performance as Elle.
“Ruthless! in general was the beginning of my learning how to do musical comedy, and it has really shaped who I am as an actress,” Bundy said. “I have to attribute my bitchy comedy to Ruthless!.”