Synopsis

Britney Spears plays a glamorous secret agent moving through a futuristic world of disguises, deception, and revenge. Beginning as a flight attendant, she charms a passenger before shifting into a red-haired motorcycle rider and infiltrating a high-tech building. Her target is an unfaithful former lover, played by Martin Henderson. After stealing a vial of poison, she returns to his apartment and kills him with a kiss. Intercut images of Spears covered in sparkling crystals turn the video into a sensual, comic-book spy fantasy.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video premiered on MTV's "Making the Video" on January 13, 2004, shortly before the single became one of Spears' signature releases.

• Spears appears in several distinct personas, including a flight attendant, a red-haired motorcyclist, and a masked thief. Tyson Beckford appears during the motorcycle sequence, while Martin Henderson plays her former lover.

• The production used extensive digital effects. KromA created a computer-animated stunt double of Spears, digitally constructed street environments, and the shattering-glass sequence.

• The visual-effects work won the Visual Effects Society award for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Music Video at the society's 2005 awards.

• In February 2004, MTV moved "Toxic" to late-night rotation after the Janet Jackson Super Bowl controversy, citing the video's sexual content.

• The video's glamorous spy-thriller style, rapid costume changes, and crystal-covered finale helped establish "Toxic" as one of the defining pop videos of the early 2000s.