Summary

Welcome to a new episode of Collider Ladies Night with Final Destination Bloodlines star Brec Bassinger.

During her Ladies Night conversation with Collider’s Perri Nemiroff, she revisits her journey from Nickelodeon to one of the most beloved horror franchises of all-time.

Bassinger discusses all the gory details of that epic Bloodlines opening premonition, including a particular part of that sequence you might think was accomplished via VFX, but was actually achieved practically.

[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Final Destination Bloodlines.]Brec Bassinger’s been racking up impressive film and television accomplishments since she was 13, but Final Destination Bloodlines is bound to send her star soaring even higher for a multitude of reasons.
Bassinger is at the heart of one of the movie’s most highly anticipated set pieces – the opening premonition. As a young Iris, she takes us back to 1969 when her boyfriend, Max Lloyd-Jones’ Paul, attempts to whip up a very special night. He surprises Iris with a visit to the Skyview, a restaurant that sits atop a 500-foot steel-beamed tower, and proposes to her. However, soon after their magical moment, a penny sets off a chain reaction that ultimately kills everyone in the restaurant and brings the entire structure down.
Due to the genius “bloodlines” concept, that’s the extent of Bassinger’s involvement in the movie. When the opening destruction concludes, the film shifts to the present day, where Kaitlyn Santa Juana’s Stefani experiences the Skyview disaster in the form of a nightmare. Yes, we do get an older version of Iris, played by Gabrielle Rose, but as far as Bassinger’s direct contribution to the movie goes, she gets a single sequence to make an impression – and she does, big time.
Yes, the opening Skyview disaster is a production feat that’s packed to the brim with widely impressive effects and stunts, but a big reason why all of that work hits so hard is because Bassinger doesn’t waste a second filling out Iris’ world and sparking a meaningful connection with the viewer. That level of engagement ensures Final Destination Bloodlines’ opening premonition isn’t just a cool horror set piece, but one with some real emotion and meaning.
In celebration of Final Destination Bloodlines’ big release, Bassinger joined me for a Collider Ladies Night conversation to revisit her days on Nickelodeon, to discuss making DC’s Stargirl, and to dig into every ounce of her unforgettable Bloodlines performance.
Bassinger Credits Her Parents with Becoming a Successful Young Actor

“It was them just trying their hardest.”

Image via Warner Bros.

While looking back on her experience “breaking into” film and television, Bassinger refused to take credit for her early success.

“I did the child actor thing. I was on a Nickelodeon show starting at the age of 13, so it was a lot of my mom and dad. We’re from a small town in Texas and they had no idea. They were like, ‘We’re gonna try.’ So, how I got into it, I can’t really take credit for that. It was them just trying their hardest.”

One especially vital contribution Bassinger’s mom made? She found her the ideal acting school, a school that would wind up helping Bassinger secure agency representation. She explained:

“My mom did find me an acting school 45 minutes away from me in Texas, and a lot of actors have gone there, weirdly enough. Her name’s Cathryn Sullivan, and I took classes there for three years, and that’s where I got signed with my agency, because they would come and have agency showcases. And I do think that’s a good way to get started. I feel like that’s how most people get started is getting into class, studying and meeting people that can get you those first auditions.”

In addition to helping Bassinger connect the dots to the necessary representatives, Sullivan’s school also taught her a particular performance technique that’s still at the core of Bassinger’s approach to her work. She explained:

“You start in Film 1, and then you do Film 2 and Film 3, and each different class session has a different skill that you’re working on. I remember Film 2 specifically, you are working on what’s called inner monologue and that is still something I use to this day, where I actually go in and write out my character’s inner monologue. So my script is one of those scripts that looks absolutely crazy. The cheesy actor example is you’re telling someone, ‘I hate you,’ but the inner monologue is going, ‘I love you,’ or, ‘Please love me.’ So always having that inner monologue, if I’m ever feeling stuck in my work, I go back to that.”

‘Bella and the Bulldogs’ Taught Bassinger How to Advocate for Herself

“Being a minor, I had an on-set teacher who’s advocating for our well-being.”

Image via Nickelodeon

Bassinger began her Nickelodeon journey by appearing on the supernatural sitcom The Haunted Hathaways. After that, she’d make a massive leap as a young actor. Bassinger’s next Nickelodeon project was one she’d headline for 40 episodes, Bella and the Bulldogs.
Bassinger had a lot to take from her two seasons playing a cheerleader who becomes the new quarterback of her school’s football team. While the first thing may sound trivial, it’s a vital aspect of a positive work environment and one that, unfortunately, is quickly forgotten when on-set pressure rises. It’s having fun.

“I grew up with those – I’ll call them kids because we were all kids at the time. I still am in contact with so many of them, and I think — just not being afraid to be friends. Even though it’s work, we can work and play. I remember one moment in particular. I get the giggles really bad and I got the giggles so badly on that show. The showrunner/director pulled me inside. They’re like, ‘We get it. This is work, and you’re having fun, but rein it in.’ But I also was like, ‘No! I’m gonna freakin’ have fun.’ So I think having such a fun experience was really important for me to hold on to.”

In addition to recognizing the importance of having a good time while doing the work, Bassinger also picked up a skill that will undoubtedly be of the utmost importance her entire career. She continued:

“Something that I feel like I really learned on that set, and I’m happy I had it on that experience was, being a minor, I had an on-set teacher who’s advocating for our well-being. When you’re working long, long hours and you feel the pressure and your two shots behind or a scene behind, you’re not gonna make your day, you forget to advocate for yourself and if I [didn’t] see those set teachers doing it for me, I don’t think I would have learned to do it for myself.”

Revisiting the ‘Stargirl’ Cancellation

Bassinger doesn’t take any opportunity for granted anymore.

Image via The CW

After the conclusion of Bella and the Bulldogs, Bassinger would go on to score one of the most coveted roles out there – the opportunity to headline a DC show on The CW. Even though all three seasons of Stargirl were warmly received and even earned some big wins at the Saturn Awards, network changes and corporate shifts brought the series to an end.
The art and the business of film and television go hand-in-hand, but it’s still a crushing thought that a show cancellation could run the risk of diminishing the value one places in their work. Not for Bassinger though. While the cancellation was disappointing, Bassinger knew exactly what to do to retain pride in her work.

“It’s hard. It’s really freaking hard, because that felt like my baby. I think I learned with Bella [and the Bulldogs], because that was a very transitional time, even then. I was young, but our show’s first season, we were the number one rated show, and then weird things happened and we got a bad place, whatever, but it felt very much out of our control and I was very angry and I think there was a part of me that took it for granted. So with Stargirl, I just really didn’t take it for granted. Every single moment, every single season, I just made sure to be present and have so much gratitude, so when it ended I was like, ‘I gave it my all. There was nothing else I could have done,’ and I think that gives me peace.”

There’s a Reason Why the ‘Final Destination Bloodlines’ Opening Is So Powerful, And It’s Not Just the Action

“We actually had a couple days of rehearsal.”

10:11

Related

Longtime Producer of The ‘Final Destination’ Franchise, Craig Perry, Just Revealed Why The New Sequel Took 14 Years To Make

Perry also shares his favorite kills of the series, how Tony Todd’s scene evolved, and why he believes ‘Final Destination’ can “go on forever.”

Bassinger gives it her all yet again in Final Destination Bloodlines, and it’s looking like all the effort she and the team poured into the franchise’s sixth installment is about to pay off big time at the box office. After scoring $5.5 million in previews, Bloodlines is tracking well ahead of projections, possibly earning more than $40 million during its opening weekend, which would make it a record opening for the series. As a horror diehard, I’m always thrilled to see the genre succeed in theaters, but this win is extra special. Not only is Final Destination a personal favorite franchise, but Bloodlines marks an especially high-quality new installment that deserves that level of acclaim and success.
One of the many reasons why Bloodlines is an especially strong horror sequel? Directors Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky. They knew what they were doing in every single respect, but one particular priority that needs to be highlighted is the directing duo’s emphasis on rehearsal.
Final Destination Bloodlines doesn’t spell out Iris and Paul’s history, but you can feel the weight of it. Even though we’ve only just met these characters and wind up spending so little time with them, they feel like whole people and their relationship feels lived in. There’s no doubt a lot of that comes from Bassinger and Lloyd-Jones’ own talent, but that’s likely bolstered by Stein and Lipovsky’s dedication to rehearsing and developing backstory.

“Adam and Zach were really huge on that. We actually had a couple days of rehearsal. Obviously we weren’t on the sets, because these massive sets were being built for months, and it’s still a hard hat territory until the day of shooting. So we’re just in a blank room talking about it, and Max, he proposes to me throughout the scene, and they were asking him questions like, ‘Where did you get the ring? How long have you had the ring? Were you nervous about your pocket?’ Things like that they were always asking us, so it almost forced us to create that backstory.”

The Incredible Stunt That Sparked a Real-Deal Fear for Bassinger

“It scared the crap out of me.”

In addition to imbuing the sequence with great emotional heft, the Final Destination Bloodlines opening also showcases that Bassinger is a stuntwork ace.
Final Destination opening premonitions are always enormous and extravagant set pieces, but they usually spread the love. Yes, someone is the centerpiece, but they’re often structured in a way where each character has their moment before returning to the person having the premonition. Not Final Destination Bloodlines. Bassinger takes us through nearly every single beat of the Skyview disaster, which ups her work in the stunt department tenfold.
While every single part of the sequence looks like a great challenge, when asked for the toughest of the bunch, Bassinger didn’t hesitate. She immediately zeroed in on this moment:

“This is such a specific moment in the film, but it scared the crap out of me. It was like a real-life Final Destination fear. I wasn’t even having to act. There’s a moment – and this is a fun little secret – the guy who got put on fire in this moment, he was also the man who was set on fire in the first Final Destination movie in the airplane. So we had a lot of returning stunt actors from the first, second, third, whatever movies. There’s this moment where he’s set on fire and he falls, and then they blow him with fire, and I’m supposed to be running, and there’s a bar and they’re like, ‘You have to duck, and he’s gonna run into the bar and the fire’s gonna go into the bar, and you have to duck under,’ and I’m like, ‘But what if I don’t duck at the right time?’ They’re like, ’Duck at the right time.’ They are actually blowing real flames. We had the whole fire department there. There was real fire. And, of course, the stunt double has this stuff all over his skin where it protects his skin as long as he’s only set on fire for like 20 seconds. It was described to me as, if you put your hand in boiling water and turn the heat on, you’re fine until you’re not fine, and that’s the ointment they put on themselves when they set themselves on fire. You’re fine until you’re not fine. And I was like, ‘Okay great.’”

As if all that wasn’t challenging enough, there was also a continuity concern Bassinger would have to address. She continued:

“Also, no one would ever notice this, but we had filmed stuff without a headband and then we needed a headband, so this is the moment you’re gonna knock off your headband too. So I was like, ‘I have to fall at the right time and make it naturally look like I knock off my headband.’ It’s a half a second in the movie, but it was such a big deal, and we can only do it twice because we’re only setting this man on fire twice. I’m like, ‘I hope you only have to do it once! That’s a lot.’ I was so proud of myself.”

Image via Warner Bros.

In addition to her headband, Bassinger’s character loses something else during the sequence – the skin of her ring finger. The Skyview scene is loaded with extreme stunts, like folks being set on fire, someone being squished by a piano, and then some, but it’s this more intimate form of gore that might be one of the most chill-inducing of the bunch.

“On set, a lot of crew members, if they have an engagement ring or wedding band, they always have the rubber ones for fear of being degloved, because it’s a real freaking thing. It’s so funny, they got my hand made. I went and had to get a life cast of my hand, and it was a robotic practical degloving of a finger, so I got to watch my finger be degloved. It’s not visual effects. They actually did it, and it was so grotesque. Even watching it, it was one of those things like, ‘Ah, my finger!’ So while that was very fake, even watching it was still hard.”

Eager to hear even more from Bassinger about her experience making Final Destination Bloodlines? Be sure to watch our full interview in the video at the top of this article, or you can listen to the conversation in podcast form below. And on top of that, you’ll get even more from Bassinger soon, along with Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Rya Kihlstedt, Anna Lore and producer Sheila Hanahan Taylor when we share the post-screening Q&A from our Final Destination Bloodlines Collider Ladies Night event!

Final Destination Bloodlines

Release Date

May 16, 2025

Runtime

109 Minutes

Director

Zach Lipovsky, Adam B. Stein

Writers

Lori Evans Taylor, Guy Busick, Jeffrey Reddick, Jon Watts

Producers

Craig Perry, Jon Watts, Dianne McGunigle

Kaitlyn Santa Juana

Stephanie Lewis

Teo Briones

Charlie Lewis

Final Destination Bloodlines is in theaters now.
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