Kristen Lee Gutoskie Felt a 'Level of Pressure' Playing 'Octomom' Natalie 'Nadya' Suleman in New Lifetime Movie: 'I Wanted to Do Her Story Justice'

Kristen Lee Gutoskie became a mom herself when she gave birth to her beautiful son in June 2023 — but nothing could have prepared her for playing the role of "Octomom" Natalie "Nadya" Suleman in Lifetime's new movie.

Ahead of the premiere of I Was Octomom: The Natalie Suleman Story on Saturday, March 8, Gutoskie sat down for an exclusive chat with OK! to reflect on what it was like to portray the mother-of-14 — who became a cultural phenomenon in 2009 after giving birth to the world's first surviving octuplets through assisted reproductive technology.

While the Containment star's one child is certainly no comparison to Suleman's more than a dozen offspring, parenthood in general definitely helped Gutoskie get into character ahead of filming.

"I think there is an innate and human instinct there that I tapped into, but having recently become a mother in 2023 definitely helped me connect with the character in a deeper way," she explained. "Having a young son now really helped me understand the experience of pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum. Although one child is a lot less than the eight octuplets Natalie has, it still gave me the insight I needed to get into the head of the character in a more personal way, and then I worked to multiply the stakes from there."

With this role, Gutoskie felt an added level of challenge, as Suleman would be watching the finished product herself.

"It was a very cool experience to get to play a real person who is still alive. It was interesting doing a deep dive to research this person who I had memories of reading about years ago, but never really knew too much about," the Canadian actress, 36, noted. "There was also a level of pressure playing a real person knowing she would be seeing the film, I wanted to do her story justice and not create a caricature of her. It was important to play her story from an authentic and human perspective. I hope we achieved that."

An additional obstacle? Gutoskie didn't interact with Suleman herself until after she completed filming the movie — which was shot in a "wildly fast" 16-day span.

"Although I didn’t get the chance to speak with her prior to or during filming, I was fortunate to converse with Natalie a few weeks ago on the phone. It was so nice to finally connect and hear directly from her, she was very kind and lovely," Gutoskie expressed. "Having also read her unpublished memoir during the shooting, I definitely felt like I was able to hear from her in a way, even without having spoken yet."

While the Beaver Falls star had hoped to form "more of a connection during the filming," their "schedules didn’t allow for that," however, "when we did finally get to speak on the phone, I felt as though a bond had already formed. I think we connected instantly and could have chatted for hours if we were allowed the time!"

Gutoskie said the biggest challenge she faced overall was making sure she could "portray the Natalie behind-the-scenes that we don't see in interviews and tabloids, without having the chance to speak to her first and having so little time to prepare for the role."

As for those watching the film at home, Gutoskie hopes "viewers get to see the human behind the 'tabloid' story and can hear things from Natalie and her kids' perspectives now that the kids are older."

"When Natalie and I spoke, she said that she wanted to do this film so others could be helped by hearing about her experience. So whatever each individual takes from watching this film, I hope it is positive and impactful," she adds.

In addition to her new Lifetime movie, Gutoskie was also excited to tell OK! about her recent emergence into the music industry.

"I have been singing and playing music since I was a very young child and now feels like the right time to enter the industry," she declared. "I think I always held my music dear to my heart and didn’t feel ready to release the countless songs I have made in my lifetime. Now I feel that the music I have made really reflects who I am and my intention, so it is time to share it with the world and hopefully it will be cathartic for listeners."

Having released her first single, "Stardust," on January 3 under her shortened name "Lee Gutoskie," The Dust Storm star was thrilled to announce her second single "Tunnel Vision" hits streaming platforms on March 14 — one week after I Was Octomom airs.

"It means so much to finally share my music and so I hope people listen and feel moved by what they hear," she concluded.