EVEN REBELS CAN SHED A TEAR
Ibeing So says Australian actress who plays the pop icon in an upcoming movie on the Lifetime channel — and found it a harrowing experience. “It was extremely traumatic,” the 23-year-old beauty (photo in character as Spears) says of filming the no-holdsbarred biopic. The film depicts the highs and lows of the singer’s career, and the struggles that saw her slip from queen of pop to a drug- and drink-addled train wreck. “It was traumatic having to experience through my eyes what she experienced,” Bassett says. Speaking about the role at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards in Los Angeles, Bassett said she grew up listening to Spears, but knew little of the singer’s past before delving into the role. Depicting Spears’ two failed marriages, depression, drug battles and loss of custody of her children gave her “a lot more empathy for what she went through,” says Bassett. “I mean, she’s not like anybody else. Her entire life she’s been chased by paparazzi and she’s constantly being scrutinized and in the public eye, so it’s not normal.
“I really appreciated how strong she is,” Bassett added. “Emotionally, the way she got through the constant pressures that she was faced with is admirable.”
The movie — “Britney Ever After,” premiering Feb. 18 — will feature the shocking moment when Spears shaved her head bald in the midst of her infamous 2007 meltdown. But Bassett didn’t have to resort to shearing her own locks: “It was all prosthetics,” she says.
Nor did she have to learn to sing. “I might have lipsynced,” she giggled.
When asked if that was a tribute to Spears, who famously mimes most of her Las Vegas residency show “Piece Of Me,” Bassett laughed: “I think she does sing a bit. I saw her in Vegas after filming and I was blown away by her performance. Her dancing was incredible.”
The Lifetime Britney flick is the first major U.S. project for Bassett. Spears made no contribution to the movie, and has said it does not have her blessing. Still, Bassett — who’s never met the star — says she hopes Spears will tune in.
“I hope she watches it,” she said. “I’ve heard she’s a fan of Lifetime.” Aussie actress flew to New York over the weekend specifically to see her “Pitch Perfect” co-star in the Broadway hit “Dear Evan Hansen.” Wilson (inset) was seen to be “very teary” at the end of the moving show. Also spotted at the red hot musical this past weekend were and who has a Broadway hit of his own with “A Bronx Tale.”