10 Actors Who Would Play Britney Spears Perfectly In Her Upcoming Biopic

Summary

Jodie Comer impresses with range, accent, emotional depth and would be a good contender for Britney Spears biopic.
Lily-Rose Depp’s own tabloid experiences could lend insight into Britney’s story for a biopic role.
Sabrina Carpenter has the looks, experience, and affinity for Britney Spears to make a compelling portrayal.

With a highly anticipated Britney Spears biopic in the works, everybody is speculating who should be cast in the leading role. As one of the most iconic pop stars ever, Britney’s story includes the incredible highs and sorrowful lows of fortune and fame as she was hounded by the tabloids, and every aspect of her personal life was commented on and scrutinized by the public. Whoever gets cast as Britney will have their work cut out for them, as telling her story requires a performer of great emotional depth, extraordinary dancing and singing talents, and striking beauty.

The best biopics cast performers who capture the essence of their star without delving into cheap imitation. Britney Spears’s life story represents both the cruelty and intoxicating allure of modern celebrity culture, and whoever plays Britney will have to believably walk this fine line as she transforms from an unknown teen sensation into the depths of mental anguish and emerges on the other side as a mature, self-assured woman. While major stars like Millie Bobby Brown and Sydney Sweeney have dominated the discussion of a Britney biopic, several others could also embody the pop icon on screen.

10 Jodie Comer

Jodie Comer has the range to play Britney Spears

Jodie Comer gained worldwide recognition as the sociopathic assassin Villanelle in the spy drama Killing Eve, a role that proves her incredible versatility as a performer. With an ability to seamlessly change her accent and incredible emotional range, Comer has impressed viewers time and time again across movies and television. From her breakout role as a teenager in the British teen drama My Mad Fat Diary to her intense turn in Ridley Scott’s historical drama The Last Duel, Comer’s immense range and firm commitment to every role she plays could make her a real contender to portray Britney Spears.

While Comer is not a dead ringer for Britney in terms of looks, they both possess an enticing type of ethereal beauty that means she could perfectly capture the girl-next-door quality that made Britney such an iconic star. Comer also proved her singing chops when she performed Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” during an interview with W Magazine. All things considered, Comer ticks all the boxes and would make a truly compelling Britney Spears if given the opportunity.

9 Lily-Rose Depp

Lily-Rose Depp has already played a character with a story similar to Britney Spears

As the daughter of Hollywood star Johnny Depp, Lily-Rose Depp grew up in the spotlight and knows firsthand what it’s like to be endlessly written about in tabloids. Depp has also received her fair share of criticism, as her early acting roles in movies like Yoga Hosers were panned by critics, and it took a while for her career to take off and for her to be recognized as more than her father’s daughter. These career challenges would give Depp plenty of insight into Britney’s difficult relationship with the press that she could tap into if she were allowed to play Spears in a biopic.

Depp’s role in HBO’s The Idol also had many parallels to Britney’s story.

Depp’s role in HBO’s The Idol also had many parallels to Britney’s story, as it showcased a young pop star attempting to rebuild her career following a nervous breakdown. Britney’s time in the spotlight has never been easy, as she was scrutinized and criticized far more than the average celebrity when she was an up-and-coming star. These are feelings that Depp captures well in The Idol, and her hit song with The Weeknd, “One of the Girls,” from the show’s soundtrack, also proves she has the musical talent needed to pull off the role.

8 Kiernan Shipka

Kiernan Shipka has the presence needed to play Britney Spears

With a similar girl-next-door aesthetic and an innate likability, Kiernan Shipka is a former child star who has what it takes to play Britney Spears in a biopic. Even in her breakout role as Sally Draper on Mad Men when she was just seven years old, Shipka showcased a real ability to capture the characters she plays, and she’s continued to have an acclaimed career ever since. With blonde hair, light brown eyes, and a similar wholesome aura, Shipka is one of the few well-known actresses in Hollywood today who could believably embody the part of Britney.

It’s not just Shipka’s leading roles in shows like The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina that highlight her Britney Spears credentials, as she has also proven herself a talented singer. Shipka showed off her singing and dancing skills in “Straight to Hell,” an original song for Netflix’s Sabrina, which captured a style not dissimilar to Spears’ own “Toxic” in its music video (via EW.) If given the opportunity, Shipka would certainly make for a compelling Britney.

7 Ella Purnell

Ella Purnell could capture the many facets of Britney Spears

Ella Purnell is a British actress who has continually proven herself to be a major talent with the skills needed to play varied and complex characters. From early roles in films like Never Let Me Go to her recent success as Lucy MacLean in Fallout, Purnell has already made a name for herself with acclaimed performances and looks set to become an even bigger star in the years to come. One performance that could make her career would be as Britney Spears in the upcoming biopics.

Not only does Purnell have the acting chops needed to pull off the highly anticipated Britney biopic, but her striking beauty also means she could believably capture the essence of Spears’ style and presence during her rise to stardom. Purnell also possesses great vocal talents, as seen by her rendition of the Noah Cyrus song “Make Me (Cry) with Julz West. With all these aspects taken together, Purnell being cast as Britney feels like a no-brainer.

6 Millie Bobby Brown

Milly Bobby Brown has already expressed interest in playing Britney Spears

The British actress Millie Bobby Brown already has a lot of insight into the superstardom that enveloped a young Britney Spears when she was just a teenager. Through her role as Eleven on Stranger Things, Brown burst onto the media landscape at just 12 years old and has seen incredible success since then. With a talent for doing an American accent and playing emotionally complex characters, if given the right material, Brown could capture the highs and lows of Britney’s meteoric rise to fame and the difficult personal issues that came with it.

Brown herself has expressed interest in playing Britney. On The Drew Barrymore Show in 2022, she said that Spears’ story “resonates with her” and that, having grown up in the public eye, she feels she could “tell her story in the right way.” However, Britney was less enthusiastic and took to Instagram, where she said, “I hear about people wanting to do movies about my life” before adding, “Dude, I’m not dead.” While Britney has since signed off on a biopic of her life, this less-than-enthusiastic reaction to Brown’s idea suggests she may not be her first choice.

5 Sabrina Carpenter

Sabrina Carpenter has a lot in common with Britney Spears

One interesting route that the filmmakers could go down for the Britney Spears biopic would be to cast Sabrina Carpenter in the iconic leading role. As a teen pop star who got her star on the Disney Channel, Carpenter must have a lot of insight into the difficulties Britney went through as a younger star and likely related to many of the stories in her memoir The Woman in Me. As an actress, dancer, and singer with similar fair features and Britney’s signature blonde hair, Carpenter truly has what it takes to embody Spears’ real-life story.

Carpenter has even highlighted her affinity for Britney by covering “Baby One More Time” at many shows on her 2023 tour.

Carpenter’s career has more than a passing similarity to Britney’s, as the beloved star’s influence can be keenly felt in the music video to “Fast Times” from her fifth album, Emails I Can’t Send. With experience on stage in the Broadway musical Mean Girls and starring roles in movies like Tall Girl, Carpenter is one of the few current actresses with all the credentials needed to play Britney. Carpenter has even highlighted her affinity for Britney by covering “Baby One More Time” at many shows on her 2023 tour.

4 Emily Alyn Lind

Emily Alyn Lind would be an interesting choice to play Britney Spears

While all three of the Lind sisters feel like they have the potential to do something interesting with the role of Britney Spears in a biopic, it’s the middle child, Emily Alyn Lind, who would be most appropriate for the part. As a child actress, Lind first gained recognition with a recurring role on the ABC series Revenge and, before long, had appeared in everything from Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire to the 2021 reboot of Gossip Girl. With an impressive filmography behind her, the leading role in the Britney biopic would be the perfect next step for her up-and-coming career.

Not only does Lind possess the looks and charisma needed to highlight how the world became so smitten with Spears as a young woman, but her acting talents mean she could do this with real sincerity and vulnerability. The ups and downs of Britney’s life have been a real whirlwind of complex emotions as she struggled with fame from such a young age. These challenges would act as the narrative core of the upcoming biopic, and Lind has already proven she has what it takes to excel in complex and emotive roles.

3 Jordyn Jones

Jordyn Jones has the dancing skills needed to play Britney Spears

Jordyn Jones is a singer, actress, model, and dancer who bears a striking similarity to a young Britney Spears. Jones got her start on the reality show Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition, where she showcases the incredible dancing talents needed for a compelling Britney biopic. Further appearances on shows such as Dancing with the Stars, Disney Channel’s Shake It Up, and X Factor have solidified her reputation as a perfect candidate to play Spears in her upcoming cinematic life story.

From uploading cover songs online through to a role in the YouTube Red Original Movie Dance Camp, Jones has quietly built up the credentials to portray Britney. With over nine million Instagram followers, Jones is not an unknown by any stretch of the imagination, although Jones is less of a household name than other candidates being discussed for the role of Britney. This could serve in Jones’s favor, as casting her as Spears may make her more believable to the average viewer, who won’t be distracted by her fame in the same way as if she were already a Hollywood star.

2 Sydney Sweeney

Sydney Sweeney is a firm favorite to play Britney Spears

Sydney Sweeney is currently among the most sought-after actresses in Hollywood, and, much like Britney Spears before her, the press just can’t get enough of her. This worldwide recognition seen after acclaimed roles in HBO’s Euphoria, The White Lotus, and the rom-com Anyone But You, means Sweeney would be a bankable star to lead a Britney biopic. This may even become a reality, as Sweeney is reportedly (via Daily Star) in the running for the part with director Jon M. Chu at the helm.

Sweeney could definitely bring name recognition to this biopic, but there may be a danger that her star power could also get in the way of her embodying a believable version of Britney.

There’s certainly merit to the idea that Sweeney would be perfect for the role, as she’s proved herself a talented and versatile actress over the past several years. While Sweeney could surely excel in telling the more dramatic side of Britney’s personal life, it remains to be seen how she would reproduce the complex dance numbers and extraordinary vocal talent of a young Spears. Sweeney could definitely bring name recognition to this biopic, but there may be a danger that her star power could also get in the way of her embodying a believable version of Britney.

1 Olivia Holt

Olivia Holt ticks all the right boxes to play Britney Spears

Most of the candidates being discussed when it comes to the upcoming Britney Spears biopic either have the looks or the acting skills needed to pull off such an iconic role. However, very few also possess the singing and dancing talents that would be so desperately required for the film to feel believable. However, one performer who can truly pull off every aspect of Britney’s unrivaled rise to fame as a worldwide superstar, as well as her cataclysmic decline into personal struggles, is the actress and singer Olivia Holt.

In the same way Britney got her start as a member of the Mickey Mouse Club alongside Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera, Holt starred in the Disney series Kickin’ It and has been releasing music since as far back as 2012. As a triple threat who is equally comfortable with acting, dancing, and singing, Holt has the looks, presence, and talent to make this biopic truly stand out with a well-cast leading star. Having made her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in Chicago in 2023, Holt would have no difficulties pulling off Britney’s complex dance numbers and iconic musical routines.

Sources: W Magazine, The Drew Barrymore Show, Instagram, EW, Daily Star