trench coat + jeans. Levi’s
earrings. Demarson
ear cuff. Mejuri
rings. Baublebar + Jenny Bird
In case you’ve missed it, Texan actor Brec Bassinger has battled cosmic villains as DC’s Stargirl and navigated deadly waters in 47 Meters Down: Uncaged. But now, Bassinger is leading as Iris in the latest, highly anticipated iteration of the iconic ‘Final Destination’ franchise, Final Destination: Bloodlines.
With her competitive cheerleading background, Bassinger is no stranger to intensity, and she brings her A-game to the cult-favourite franchise’s death-defying tense scenes, though she confirms the movie had her “100%” looking over her own shoulder. “There are three things in this movie specifically that I can never look at the same,” laughs Bassinger, as she dishes all three. In true Final Destination fashion and in the name of tension, we intentionally omit them here. Consider this your warning: read on, but don’t get too comfortable.
Schön! talks to Bassinger about all things ‘Final Destination’, her evolution as an actress, and how she tackled the different demands of stepping into horror’s most fatal franchise.
jacket + skirt. Max Mara
earrings. Demarson
ear cuff. Mejuri
rings. Baublebar + Jenny Bird
opposite
earrings. Jenny Bird
Hello to a fellow Texan! Tell us about growing up in Texas.
In a lot of ways, I lived like the very cliche Texas upbringing; my dad’s a farmer, and my mom was a kindergarten teacher. So, it was just like a classic hometown. People meet me, and they won’t know I’m from Texas. Within five seconds of talking to my dad, they’re like, Where in the podunk are you from? He has the strongest Southern accent. I feel very lucky because I started acting quite young, at the age of 13. So, I feel that I got to live the best of both worlds – the slow-paced Texas traditional lifestyle, and also, when I was working full time I was living in Hollywood. So, I feel really lucky.
How did you get into acting?
I was pretty unapologetic to my parents about my desire to act. I said, “I’m going to be an actor.” I don’t even think I knew exactly what that meant. My parents didn’t know the first thing about the entertainment industry, but they said they’d do whatever they could to help me. After a few years of begging, they found me a drama school in Texas, and I went there for three years.
Through that program, I was able to get an agent and manager, and I went out to LA for 30 days to try out the LA market. In the last week of the 30 days, I ended up booking a recurring role that kept bringing me back to LA, where I met the creators of my next show. It was all just very divine timing. My mom and I always joke about what would have happened if I didn’t do the 30 days in LA.
What has been the most challenging or rewarding part of acting so far?
The most rewarding thing [so far] has been the show I did called StarGirl. We did three seasons, and we filmed through a pandemic and a potential union strike. A lot of our crew from the first season to the third season were the same because we truly just fell in love with each other – we were a big family. We had been through so much together, and I think collectively we were all really proud of the show we created for such a long period of time.
In this industry, now having three seasons is kind of a rarity, and so that has had such a big impact on my life. I feel like that’s the most rewarding. I’d also say it was the most challenging because of all we went through. That show was freaking hard. We had 20-hour days sometimes, but we all did it together.
jacket. 3.1 Phillip Lim
bra. Ninety Percent
earrings + rings. Jenny Bird
opposite
jacket + jeans. 3.1 Phillip Lim
bra. Ninety Percent
shoes. Marion Parke
earrings + rings. Jenny Bird
Switching gears – “Final Destination” has a cult legacy of making the ordinary terrifying — did you suddenly feel like you were looking over your shoulder, or feel eerie after shooting ‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’?
100%. There are three things in this movie specifically that I can never look at the same. First, a tight ring. Get it away from me. I’d rather have a loose ring than a tight ring. Secondly, I had to go get an MRI while we were filming, and I was panicking so bad. The doctor said it wasn’t a big deal. It’s about to be a big deal for a lot of other people, too. And [finally], revolving doors. I live in New York, and revolving doors are an everyday occurrence for me. Now? I am looking for another entrance. I used to love them and be that annoying person who would go round and round in them when security was looking at me to exit. Not anymore.
You’ve portrayed cheerleaders, superheroes, and now a horror lead — how did you prepare differently for Iris in ‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’ that none of your past roles prepared you for?
I think the biggest thing that I had to prepare for this that was different from other projects is that it is set in the 1960s. Specifically, Iris is an unmarried, pregnant woman, and that in the 1960s is very, very different from what it would be now. So, having to put myself in what it would feel like to be in that situation as a woman in the 1960s required doing proper research and having good conversations with our co-directors about it. I wanted to honour what Iris would have been going through.
jacket + jeans. 3.1 Phillip Lim
shoes. Marion Parke
earrings + rings. Jenny Bird
opposite
jacket, bra + skirt. Max Mara
boots. Stylist’s Own
earrings. Demarson
ear cuff. Mejuri
rings. Baublebar + Jenny Bird
Iris really is the catalyst for the events of ‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’. Can you describe her in your own words?
Yeah, she’s a huge origin. And coming from a superhero background in comic books, I love origin stories! When I first read the script, I saw that not only was I connected to the entire franchise, but also to Tony Todd’s part in it and his legacy. It was so surreal. I was freaking out. I’m so excited. She is a strong woman.
There’s a lot of physicality and tension in horror — how did your background in competitive cheerleading help (if at all) in your performance in the film’s high-stakes moments?
I feel like an awareness of my body is always helpful in acting, but specifically for huge action sequences. I was showing my boyfriend a clip where there’s a tilted step – we’re at 45 degrees, and I’m having to climb up it. My arms were so sore! I think that [my cheer background] really does help. With the flips, I’m not scared. [SPOILER] A good example from this movie is where we called it Star Trek acting, where the restaurant breaks in half. You need to act like the set is breaking in half and you’re falling. I feel like I was able to do it because I do have an awareness of my body from the sports and cheerleading, gymnastics that I did growing up.
bra. Ninety Percent
jeans. Levi’s
shoes. Betzabe
earrings. Demarson
rings. Baublebar + Jenny Bird
opposite
jacket. 3.1 Phillip Lim
rings. Jenny Bird
Iris’ premonition in the film is a brutal gift — have you ever had a gut instinct in real life that changed the course of something major for you?
What an interesting question. I think back to when I first booked that role in the 30 days in LA. I had to make a decision of whether to go back to Texas, and I was a 13-year-old who was supposed to be starting cheerleading tryouts. Of course, as soon as I landed back in Texas, I got a message saying that I was starting filming tomorrow because they had booked me. So, I was so emotional, but my parents and I just had this gut feeling that it would lead to something more. And it did! It ended up being 11 episodes of a show versus one. [Like Iris], that was really the catalyst for [my] events.
If you could design your own “Final Destination” scenario — as disturbing or poetic as you like — what would it look like and what fear would it explore?
I’m a huge snowboarder, and I always have this massive fear of an avalanche [happening] and [then] getting stuck underneath the snow. “Final Destination” hasn’t had a mountain snow trip yet, so I think there are a lot of things in that terrain to explore!
What are you working on next?
All I can say right now is that] right after the “Final Destination” premiere, I fly out the next morning to go work on a new project!
trench coat + jeans. Levi’s
bra. Ninety Percent
earrings. Demarson
ear cuff. Mejuri
rings. Baublebar + Jenny Bird
opposite
top + jeans. Citizens of Humanity
turtleneck. Lilysilk
rings. Jenny Bird + Mejuri
Final Destination: Bloodlines is in theatres now and will be available on digital on June 17th.
photography. Alvin Kean Wong
fashion. Sarah Slutsky Tooley @ Forward Artists
talent. Brec Bassinger
casting. Alabama Blonde
hair. Jerome Cultrera @ l’Atelier NYC using Kérastase
make up. Seiya Iibuchi using MAC Cosmetics
creative production. Clara La Rosa
fashion assistant. Carlee Princell + Mia Stella
studio. Café Studio NYC
interview. Sandy Aziz
