Twenty years ago, Pink was involved in a great cinematic achievement: Pepsi's 2004 three-minute commercial. The ad stars Britney Spears, Beyoncé and Pink as Roman gladiators who enter the ring to fight each other but sing Queen's "We Will Rock You" and drink Pepsi defied Emperor Enrique Iglesias. In a Feb. 22 interview with People , the "Trustfall" singer reflected on the "weird" experience of filming the ad, two decades after it was shot in Rome in 2003.
"What a weird deal that was. What the hell? Like, 'What are we doing?'" she said. "Also, you're Pepsi. You're flying us to Rome to shoot in a fake Colosseum down the street from the real Colosseum. Why are we here? We could have gone to Canada. I don't get it. That's Pepsi's Money. For a while, everything I saw was weird and I was like, “That’s Pepsi money. "That's weird."
Pink added that she had a close relationship with both her co-stars on set. "Beyoncé is the most beautiful person in front of you," she said. "She shines like a goddess. She's so fucking talented and she's a total pro - always has been - and will always be the sweetest, sweetest person. So she's so sweet and so sweet and then It’s crazy to be so ferocious on stage.”
She also talked about her love for Spears, whom she referenced in her 2001 hit "Don't Let Me Get Me," which many considered a diss. However, she just loves the Grammy winner, especially considering how they faced the intense scrutiny of 2000s tabloid culture. "People thought I was targeting Britney on 'Don't Let Me Get Me,' but I've always felt like a big sister to her," she explained. "I'm very protective of her, she's the sweetest person in the world." The two are currently not in contact. "I wish her the best," she said. "I kept her under the light all day."
Spears and Beyoncé had been the face of Pepsi for years before the 2004 ad, with Spears singing the "Pepsi Joy" jingle in 2001 and Bey performing her debut single in the 2003 ad. The song "Crazy In Love". The two team up with Pink to ensure red carpet treatment. Pepsi premiered the ad in January 2004 at the National Gallery in London's Trafalgar Square, with the three stars and Queen rockers Brian May and Roger Taylor ) attended the premiere and gave the three blessings.
"It's great to have a premiere like this," Spears told TODAY on the red carpet. "Filming this ad was great, it made me feel empowered and I got to work with these two amazing gladiator women." Twenty years later, the trio's legacy lives on.
