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Australian Actress Natasha Bassett On Nature, Vegan Cookies & The Coen Brothers
07/08/24
Author: Ingrid Kesa
DOCUMENTED BY: RIISE
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Natasha Bassett is one of those special people who radiates magnetism, charisma and joy. You can immediately tell how grounded she is, so it’s no surprise that even in Hollywood – a city known for its fast pace, urban sprawl and multi-lane freeways – she still finds time to pause and connect with nature daily.
We’re speaking with the actress from a dog park in LA where she’s taking her “little chaos canine”, Fred, for a walk. This deep reverence for the natural world was instilled from a young age; Natasha grew up doing survival trips in Australia, a country synonymous with its vast landscapes from arid deserts to snow-capped mountains, coral reefs to tropical rainforests and everything in-between. “We’d take our own packs of food and equipment for a week and battle our way through the bush, hoping for the best. I learnt how to interact with nature quite intensely and am grateful for what it gives us. I feel most myself when I’m in the water or surrounded by trees.”
Born in Sydney, Natasha began acting at the age of 13. She started with Shakespeare classes and productions at Australian Theatre for Young People. “I spent every holiday and weekend at the charming theatre on The Wharf. I was excruciatingly shy growing up and finally learnt how to use my voice there,” she explains.
“Every night before I’d go on stage, I’d run to the end of the wharf, scream into the harbour then sprint back to stage to begin the performance. It was pretty invigorating.”
After high school, Natasha’s talent for acting took her overseas. She relocated to New York City to study at the Atlantic Acting School and secured the lead role in 2009 MTV film Dungoona, along with parts in Australian series including Rake and Wild Boys.
Landing a spot in 2013 NBC series Camp saw her move to LA. Despite not knowing anybody when she first arrived, it was here that her career really took off; in 2016 she subsequently appeared in indie drama Katie Says Goodbye, as well as the Coen brothers film Hail, Caesar!.
“I remember on a break during filming, I was sitting on a makeshift chair in a tiny garden by a strange cottage in Hollywood suburbia with a Coen flanked either side of me," she says. "We were talking about Super 8 movies and how to swear in Latin. I never expected my childhood idols to be teaching me about directing and how to swear elegantly! I still use all the Latin they taught me.”
More recently, Natasha appeared in Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 Elvis biopic. She played Dixie Locke, Elvis’ first girlfriend, alongside Austin Butler as the ‘King’ himself. The Elvis cast fell in love with her vegan cookies, which have become so popular in LA that they’re even available on Uber Eats via local restaurants under the moniker Tashi’s Cookies.
“I’ve always baked for friends and for people I work with on set — to the point that if I showed up at a dinner party or any kind of gathering without cookies, it would be insulting. It took an unexpected step further when I participated in some baking competitions in LA.” The cookies, inspired by Australian desserts and nostalgic childhood flavours, won and Natasha was dubbed ‘LA’s Best Cookie Baker’.
When she’s not acting, spending time outdoors or making her infamous vegan cookies, you’ll likely find Natasha writing her own scripts. This happens whenever inspiration strikes: on the train, talking with a friend, waking up from a dream.“Stories are everywhere and I like to collect them. My iPhone notes are littered with random ideas. When there’s one that takes over my brain and I literally can’t stop thinking about it, I’ll turn it into something I can share with the world. My last project started when I had the idea in an airport and wrote the script on the back of my plane ticket.”
As you may have guessed from someone so creative, Natasha currently has multiple writing projects on the go: a dark comedy and a psychological thriller. She is also filming a rom-com in Seattle.
Dividing her time between multiple projects and cities can be demanding, but the cinema has always provided a place of refuge and “a certain reordering of the chaos.” A favourite ritual of hers wherever she is in the world, Natasha relishes in the collective experience it provides. “The idea of sharing space in a dark room with a bunch of strangers you may never see again who are all entering the same world as you, feeling the same things as you, is quite absurd and archaic but I hope it always exists.”
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Documented By:RIISE
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