Who Is Natasha Bassett? 6 Things To Know About Lifetime’s Britney Spears Biopic Star

On Wednesday, it was announced that Australian actress Natasha Bassett will star as Britney Spears in an upcoming unauthorized Lifetime biopic called “Britney.” The two-hour biopic will focus on Spears’ up and down career including the divorce of her parents and her breakup with Justin Timberlake.

While Bassett has been acting in Australia since 2009, the rising Aussie star is an unknown in America. Here are six things you should know about Bassett:

1. She Was Born In Australia

Raised by her mother, Bassett was born in Sydney, Australia. After doing various roles in Australia, Bassett eventually moved to New York City to study at the Atlantic Acting School. Following her move to New York City, Basset made her way to Los Angeles to be featured in the 2013 NBC series “Camp.”

2. Her Big Break Came In “Hail, Caesar!”

While Basset was already a rising star in her home country, the actress’ American big break came in the 2016 Coen brothers’ comedy, “Hail, Caesar!” The young actress played a 1950s-era starlet in what has been called a "scene-stealing role" by the Daily Mail.

3. She Writes And Directs

Aside from acting, Bassett has also tried her hand in writing and directing. In 2013, the actress wrote and directed a short film called “Kite.” “I love them both in different ways, Bassett told Vogue Australia. “I like to share my own stories but I also enjoy giving voice to somebody else's creation of a character.”

4. She Plans To Write A Novel

Bassett also has her eyes set on writing a novel. In the same interview with Vogue, Bassett said, “I’m really interested in writing novels at the moment and acting helps with that a lot, because I’m so used to immersing myself in a character’s world. It’s the same thing for writing a novel. You just need a good plot to go with it.”

5. She Doesn't Want To Be “Typecast”

As an actress from Australia, Bassett looks up to the late Heath Ledger and doesn't want to be typecast when it comes to acting roles. “I never want to be typecast for a certain look or a certain character and I think Heath Ledger was really smart in the choices he made because he never really allowed that to happen,” she told the Daily Telegraph.

6. She Likes To Get “Inside A Character’s Head”

In an interview with Paper Magazine, Bassett said, “I just like understanding why people are the way they are and getting inside a character’s head. Understanding their past makes you understand humans more.” In portraying a person such as Britney Spears who has gone through a public meltdown, breakups and more, Bassett will definitely have a complex character to play.