Natasha Behnam

{{Infobox person

| name = Natasha Beham

| birth_place = Orange County, California, United States{{cite web|url=https://thehouse-magazine.com/breaking-boundaries-the-remarkable-story-of-actress-natasha-behnam/|title=Breaking Boundaries: The Remarkable Story of Actress Natasha Behnam|website=The House Magazine|date=2024-05-07|access-date=2024-09-12}}

| occupation = {{plainlist|

Actress
Comedian

}}

| citizenship = American

| education = Loyola Marymount University

| years_active = 2016–present

| television = The Girls on the Bus

}}

Natasha Behnam is an American actress and comedian.

Early life

Natasha Behnam grew-up in an Iranian-American household in Orange County, and has described wanting to be an actress by the time she was four years old. She attended Loyola Marymount University's Film & TV Production school where she took acting classes and performed improv & sketch comedy.{{Cite web |last=Perez |first=Kacey |date=May 7, 2024 |title=Breaking Boundaries: The Remarkable Story of Actress Natasha Behnam |url=https://thehouse-magazine.com/breaking-boundaries-the-remarkable-story-of-actress-natasha-behnam/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240522084019/https://thehouse-magazine.com/breaking-boundaries-the-remarkable-story-of-actress-natasha-behnam/ |archive-date=May 22, 2024 |access-date=May 22, 2024 |website=thehouse-magazine}}

Career

Behnam performed comedy with Upright Citizens Brigade and The Groundlings School. In 2018, she appeared in The CW's series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend season four, Animal Kingdom on TNT and also appeared in Mayans M.C. on FX.{{Cite web |date=June 18, 2019 |title=Meet Natasha Behnam |url=https://voyagela.com/interview/meet-natasha-behnam-actress-los-feliz/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924152332/http://voyagela.com/interview/meet-natasha-behnam-actress-los-feliz/ |archive-date=September 24, 2022 |access-date=May 22, 2024 |website=Voyage LA}}{{Cite web |last=Mackey |first=Joshua S. |date=May 3, 2024 |title=The scoop on 'The Girls on the Bus' star Natasha Behnam |url=https://www.intomore.com/entertainment/tv/the-scoop-on-the-girls-on-the-bus-star-natasha-behnam/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240510173527/https://www.intomore.com/entertainment/tv/the-scoop-on-the-girls-on-the-bus-star-natasha-behnam/ |archive-date=May 10, 2024 |access-date=May 22, 2024 |website=intomore.com}} She played Michelle in the 2020 film American Pie Presents: Girls' Rules.{{Cite web |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |date=June 30, 2022 |title='The Girls On The Bus': Natasha Behnam Joins Melissa Benoist In HBO Max Drama Series |url=https://deadline.com/2022/06/the-girls-on-the-bus-natasha-behnam-melissa-benoist-hbo-max-political-drama-1235054387/amp/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305034551/https://deadline.com/2022/06/the-girls-on-the-bus-natasha-behnam-melissa-benoist-hbo-max-political-drama-1235054387/amp/ |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |access-date=May 22, 2024 |website=Deadline Hollywood}}

In 2024, Behnam appeared as journalist Lola Rahaii on HBO Max series The Girls on the Bus, based on Amy Chozick’s 2018 memoir Chasing Hillary.{{Cite web |last=Easton |first=Anne |date=March 12, 2024 |title='The Girls On The Bus' Is About Making Unusual Connections, While Striving To Get The Hottest Scoop |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/anneeaston/2024/03/12/the-girls-on-the-bus-is-about--making-unusual-connections-while-striving-to-get-the-hottest-scoop/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240314082402/https://www.forbes.com/sites/anneeaston/2024/03/12/the-girls-on-the-bus-is-about--making-unusual-connections-while-striving-to-get-the-hottest-scoop/ |archive-date=March 14, 2024 |access-date=May 22, 2024 |website=Forbes}}{{Cite web |last=Rosen |first=Christopher |date=April 22, 2024 |title=Natasha Behnam on 'The Girls on the Bus': 'It changed my perspective in the biggest way' [Exclusive Video Interview] |url=https://www.goldderby.com/feature/natasha-behnam-the-girls-on-the-bus-video-interview-1205808012/amp/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422164627/https://www.goldderby.com/feature/natasha-behnam-the-girls-on-the-bus-video-interview-1205808012/amp/ |archive-date=April 22, 2024 |access-date=May 22, 2024 |website=Goldderby}} Her character was shaped into being a first-generation Persian after her casting and show-runner Rina Mimoum introduced her to the writer's room to share her experience being Iranian American.{{Cite web |last=Lewis |first=Rebecca |date=May 10, 2024 |title=Exclusive: Natasha Behnam on The Girls on the Bus season 2 and the power of Gen Z activism |url=https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/552675/natasha-behnam-girls-on-the-bus-season-2-exclusive/?viewas=amp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517112123/https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/552675/natasha-behnam-girls-on-the-bus-season-2-exclusive/?viewas=amp |archive-date=May 17, 2024 |access-date=May 22, 2024 |website=Hello Magazine}} In a review for the LA Times, Mary McNamara described her performance by saying "she steals every scene she's in".{{Cite news |last=McNamara |first=Mary |date=March 14, 2024 |title=Commentary: How 'The Girls on the Bus' depicts journalists would be fun, if it weren't so dangerous |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2024-03-14/the-girls-on-the-bus-max-journalism |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240521183905/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2024-03-14/the-girls-on-the-bus-max-journalism |archive-date=May 21, 2024 |access-date=May 22, 2024 |newspaper=LA Times}}

In May 2024, Behnam was cast as Dominique in a recurring role on the fifth series of Netflix thriller series You.{{Cite web |last=Al-Ghamdi |first=Abdullah |date=May 21, 2024 |title=You Season 5 Set Photos Reveal First Look At Joe's Sister-In-Law |url=https://screenrant.com/you-season-5-anna-camp-joe-sister-in-law-set-photos/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240521163435/https://screenrant.com/you-season-5-anna-camp-joe-sister-in-law-set-photos/ |archive-date=May 21, 2024 |access-date=May 22, 2024 |website=Screen Rant}}{{Cite web |last=Soares |first=Isabella |date=May 21, 2024 |title=Meet the New Faces of 'You' Season 5 |url=https://collider.com/you-season-5-anna-camp-set-images/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240522084032/https://collider.com/you-season-5-anna-camp-set-images/ |archive-date=May 22, 2024 |access-date=May 22, 2024 |website=Collider}}{{Cite web |last=Petski |first=Denise |date=May 10, 2024 |title='You' Adds 4 To Cast For Fifth & Final Season |url=https://deadline.com/2024/05/you-season-5-cast-final-season-netflix-1235911457/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240514200928/https://deadline.com/2024/05/you-season-5-cast-final-season-netflix-1235911457/ |archive-date=May 14, 2024 |access-date=May 22, 2024 |website=Deadline Hollywood}} She has an upcoming role in Barden and Sarah Start a Pandemic which premiered at Series Fest and won the Audience Award, she described the series as being about "two absurd best friends who will do anything to get out of work, so they decide they want to start another pandemic just so they don't have to go back to work".{{Cite web |last=Whittaker |first=Jeremy |date=May 13, 2024 |title=Interview: Rising Star Natasha Behnam Talks HBO's "The Girls on the Bus" |url=https://rain-mag.com/interview-rising-star-natasha-behnam-talks-hbos-the-girls-on-the-bus |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240522084020/https://rain-mag.com/interview-rising-star-natasha-behnam-talks-hbos-the-girls-on-the-bus |archive-date=May 22, 2024 |access-date=May 22, 2024 |website=Rain-mag}}

Personal life

Behnam speaks English and Persian.{{Cite web |last=Tyrrell |first=Caitlin |date=April 20, 2024 |title=The Girls on the Bus Star On Lola's Tragic Backstory & Exploring Unresolved Trauma |url=https://screenrant.com/girls-on-the-bus-episode-7-natasha-behnam-interview/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420224320/https://screenrant.com/girls-on-the-bus-episode-7-natasha-behnam-interview/ |archive-date=April 20, 2024 |access-date=May 22, 2024 |website=Screen Rant}} Her parents are from Tehran but fled from the Iranian Revolution. She describes herself as queer.

Partial filmography

class="wikitable"

|+Key

| style="background:#FFFFCC;"| {{dagger|alt=Not yet released}}

|Denotes works that have not yet been released

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" \| Notes
2016 \| Get Spy \| Melissa \| 1 episode
2016 \| Blake and Emily Get Famous \| Blake \| 3 episodes
2018 \| Animal Kingdom \| Taylor \| 1 episode
2018 \| Crazy Ex-Girlfriend \| Courtney \| Season 4
2020 \| American Pie Presents: Girls' Rules \| Michelle \|
2022 \| Mayans M.C. \| Suze \| 2 episodes
2024 \| The Girls on the Bus \| Lola \| Main role
2025 \| You \| Dominique \| Recurring role
TBA \| Barden and Sarah Start a Pandemic{{dagger}} \| Sarah \| Post-production

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

2016

| Get Spy

| Melissa

| 1 episode

2016

| Blake and Emily Get Famous

| Blake