In this week’s edition of In Appreciation Of, we look at Texas-born actress Brec Bassinger, who played the title role on The CW superhero series Stargirl for 3 seasons.
Welcome to In Appreciation Of, where we highlight actors, personalities, filmmakers and projects that have made an undeniable impact.
At only 23 years of age, Brec Bassinger is already off to a “super” start in her acting career. Yes, I know that’s a terrible pun.
From her roles in kids’ TV, becoming the lead on Stargirl, and playing other roles in between and after, Bassinger has established herself as a versatile actress.
In fact, I have the somewhat unique perspective here of not having met Bassinger, yet I’ve interviewed 13 of her Stargirl castmates.
Here’s what some of them had to say about her:
“I adore Brec and Brec’s the same energy as Courtney. She’s really the right person to play that character because she does represent and embody so much of that goodness and sincerity.
“She brings our cast and crew in the way that Courtney brings the team together. It’s pretty parallel, you know?”
Cameron Gellman, Courageous Nerd (2021)“I arrived into the make-up trailer and there was this bubbly spark of a girl who was sat with these shocks of blonde hair. She’s like, ‘Hi! Are you Neil? Oh my God, do you play Icicle?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I play Icicle.’
“‘She goes, “I’m Brec! It’s like breakfast, but without the ‘fast.’ I was like, ‘God, you’re adorable.’”
Neil Jackson, Courageous Nerd (2020)
In addition, Bassinger had a difficult task ahead of her upon becoming Courtney Whitmore/Stargirl.
While playing a fictional character, the part embodied the spirit of and was named after creator Geoff Johns’ sister.
Tragically, Courtney Johns died in the TWA Flight 800 crash in 1996 aged 18. However, as a tribute, a picture of her appears in the Stargirl pilot episode.
So, while there were many factors to balance, Bassinger played this role with grace and sincerity. This is why the performance endured over 3 seasons.
All of the Stargirl actors I’ve interviewed had nothing but nice things to say about Brec Bassinger.
This must be a testament to the kind of person she is, off camera and out of character.
Very few stars are truly born overnight and as you might expect, Bassinger’s career did not start with Stargirl stardom.
In fact, much like Emma Roberts and Keke Palmer, she had her first breakthrough working on Nickelodeon.
Throughout the 2010s, Bassinger appeared on three Nick shows: a recurring role on The Haunted Hathaways, the lead on Bella and the Bulldogs, and recurring on School of Rock.
During this time, she also appeared on 2 episodes of The Goldbergs, albeit a few seasons apart.
So, after Bella and Stargirl, where does Brec Bassinger go next?
Many actors struggle to transition from their best-known roles into other work.
That being said, Bassinger seems to be taking the challenge head-on and landing varied roles in several projects.
Some of her recent work has seen her return to Nickelodeon with voice work on The Loud House while also scoring film roles.
Still only 23, there’s no way of knowing where Brec Bassinger’s career will go next.
Keep shining bright.