Kristen Lee Gutoskie Explains Her Connection to ‘I Was Octomom’ Movie

Kristen Lee Gutoskie is stepping into the shoes of Natalie “Nadya” Suleman in Lifetime’s newest film I Was Octomom: The Natalie Suleman Story. 

The Handmaid’s Tale alum, 36, told Us Weekly exclusively that playing Suleman, who found fame in January 2009 after giving birth to the first surviving set of octuplets, was a natural role for her to take after welcoming her son in June 2023. 

“I had, myself, just had a child,” Gutoskie explained. “When this came across my doorstep, it was kind of the perfect time to really go back to work because this was such a beautiful story of motherhood. As a new mom, I felt like it was a great opportunity to step back into work, but also to understand the story from a perspective of motherhood.”

Gutoskie had to wade through tabloid headlines from the late 2000s to find the truth of Suleman’s story. The mother of 14 children, Suleman was dubbed Octomom by the media after conceiving via IVF and giving birth to her octuplets, who are now 16. Their birth caused controversy at the time, resulting in backlash for Suleman and her family. 

“I didn’t know all of the stuff that was circulating about her back in the day,” Gutoskie said. “When I was researching the role, I had to absorb everything. What I really tried to do was look at the human being underneath all of the tabloids and try to understand her as a human. I just did my best to try and understand how it would feel for me if I was in her shoes.” 

Gutoskie didn’t work with Suleman directly during production, instead collaborating with the film’s writer, Kelly Fullerton, and producers to better understand the character. The actress told Us that she did meet and speak with Suleman after filming wrapped.  

“We finally got to speak recently, and it was a really nice full-circle [moment] to see how happy she was with the film and feel like we really captured what she was hoping us to capture,” Gutoskie shared, adding that she understood Suleman’s struggles with postpartum depression and the “physical and emotional ups and downs” that come after birth. 

“You can kind of hear more about that in the film, but I understand that,” Gutoskie said. “The struggles of postpartum aren’t spoken about enough, I think, and it’s a really hard thing for birthing folks to go through. I could understand her struggles making decisions for her family and kids while also dealing with the recovery from giving birth — the drive to do whatever you can to protect and provide for your children and be devoted to them. I don’t think I would’ve been able to play it the same prior to becoming a mom.”

I Was Octomom: The Natalie Suleman Story premieres on Lifetime Saturday, March 8, at 8 p.m. ET and will be available to stream the following day.