Alyson Stoner almost didn't appear in Missy Elliott's 'Work It' video

Earlier this week, the MTV VMAs honored Missy Elliott with the Video Vanguard Award, and for the occasion, Elliott brought triple-threat Alyson Stoner on stage with her as she performed a seven-minute medley of her greatest hits. Stoner’s sharp dance moves set social media ablaze, particularly because many viewers recognized her as the little girl from Elliott’s iconic “Work It” music video.

While it’s hard to imagine the video without Stoner now, she recently revealed that the memorable moment almost didn’t happen. Speaking with TMZ while traveling through an airport Wednesday morning, Stoner — who was 9 when she appeared in “Work It” — explained that she nearly didn’t get to audition for the video due to scheduling conflicts with a sibling’s sports obligation.

“I actually didn’t almost go to the audition,” Stoner said. “My sister, I think, had a scrimmage. My parents said, ‘We’ve spent too much time focused on Alyson.’ I think the scrimmage got canceled. I ended up going [to the ‘Work It’ audition]. My sisters knew [Elliott] as an artist, my parents didn’t. They said, ‘Yeah, it’ll be great!’”

Stoner also said she wasn’t told the real meaning or innuendoes behind “Work It” for years, and she credits that to the edited version of the song being used when she showed up to film the video.

This isn’t the only interesting tidbit she shared about her work with Elliott and her team. After Monday’s VMAs ceremony, Stoner said on Twitter that she was tapped for the performance just “a day before,” but added “those grooves don’t leave your system.” Stoner and Elliott had a warm and reflective exchange shortly after.

Talk about a moment!

Related content:

• Missy Elliott brings out grown-up Alyson Stoner, girl from ‘Work It’ video, during epic VMAs medley performance
• On Iconography, Missy Elliott is still blazing a trail for pop weirdness
• 7 Missy Elliott videos that prove she deserves the VMAs Video Vanguard Award