Disclosure: This event and trip to LA was an all expense paid journey sponsored by Disney. All thoughts, ideas, and ramblings are 100% my own!
As you all know, I was able to preview Frozen last week. You saw my red carpet premiere Frozen photos on Friday. However, before I even got to do that, I was able to interview Kristen Bell.
Now, you know how she looks totally normal and down to earth when you see on tv? She’s the same way in person. We could have literally talked to her all day long! She was so nice. Here are a few of the questions we got to ask her:
How did you get involved in the Frozen project?
I’ve always wanted to be in a Disney animated feature like since I was four years old or five years old. It was the first goal I had ever set for myself. I auditioned for Tangled and after my audition the casting director pulled me aside and she said, oh that was great and if we go another way, I want you to meet Chris Buck because he’s directing a project that’s a few years down the line called The Snow Queen, and I think you’d be right for it. What’s funny is that she said it’s a much more traditional Disney musical. I think this is the most untraditional musical they’ve ever done! (We all laughed at that point!)
Did singing scare you?
No, that was what incited me to want to do it, because I studied music in college. I trained operatically when I was a little girl, and I love musical theater so much. I’ve done a couple Broadway musicals and I try to keep music as relevant as possible. It really just puts me in a mental state of happiness like nothing else, I think. Really like nothing else. Um, maybe now other than the kid.
What did you do to prepare?
I didn’t at all. I came in with so many ideas, because this was not how the movie was written at all. First, they were sisters and then they weren’t. Then I think they just tried to figure out what worked the best for telling the themes of the story while using the Christian Andersen fairy tale as an outline.
I knew exactly what I wanted to do going in. I was like — I don’t want her to have good posture, I don’t want her to have dreamed of holding a sword her whole life. I didn’t want her to be one or the other of the archetypes that I was used to seeing. I just wanted her to be who I wanted to see on screen when I was little which is someone who talks too much and too fast, puts her foot in her mouth and is goofy, but really kind of likes people and being social and positive.
You‘re on Gossip Girl and now you’re animated, how is that different?
I can pull myself out of it when I watch this animation, because I like it so much. I’m a huge fan of animation and I’m swept away by this story. When I watched Gossip Girl, it was a tiny bit like playing your own answering machine over and over and over again. That’s kind of what it felt like to me because I don’t love the sound of my own voice. It’s much nicer to be able to pay attention to a story line as well and not go like, wow, I sound so screechy. Not pick myself apart, you know.
You said you’re opinionated. Is there a role you’ve done that is more you?
Wow, well all my roles have been aspects of my personality, sans a few. I mean the role I’m currently playing on House of Lies is not like me at all, neither really is Sarah, the one you think of. Sarah Marshall wasn’t really. Veronica Mars was close to the snarky darker side of me, that’s about as dark as I’ll get. This is a caricature of me for sure. This is definitely closer to who I am. This is who I was as a kid, for sure.
I made a movie with my husband last year called The Hit and Run and that’s probably the closest to me and maybe the most- the truest because he wrote it knowing I was going to play it, so he wrote it as me. I think somewhere between Anna, Annie in Hit and Run, and Veronica Mars is this version of myself. It depends on the day that you wake me up in. (We all laughed.)
Kristen Bell also told us about a great company she’s involved with: This Bar Saves Lives. Every bar that is purchased a portion of the proceeds goes to a non-profit organization that makes packets of food for needy children. They tasted great (yes, she brought us some!), and it’s a great cause I wanted to pass along to you!
What questions would you have asked Kristen Bell? What surprised you most about her answers?
Awesome!!! That would be such an amazing experience!!!
It’s always awesome to meet a star and find them down-to-earth. It’s great to blow the stereotype.
Kristin Bell is one of my daughter’s favorite actresses…she’d be so jealous!
Wasn’t she so sweet?!
She was!
Looking forward to this movie.
I can’t wait to see this!
She is adorable!
Great interview. How awesome!
Great interview! We want to see this movie!
Wow, that is super cool that you had the chance to interview Kristen Bell! She does sound and look very down to earth!
I love that she said she is a little bit like her Veronica Mars character (at least some days!) because I think I will always imagine her that way.
I attended a preview of Frozen last weekend, and loved it SO much! Great movie.
It’s soooo good!
Thanks for sharing a great interview! I had no idea she has done a couple Broadway musicals.
I bet it was such fun being able to do an interview with her.
Oh goodness, that is so exciting! I love Kristin Bell! I can’t wait to see this movie! We just hosted a mini “FROZEN” party for my kids last week because we are so excited! I can’t wait.
How fun! Great interview on getting to really know Ms. Kristen. Can’t wait to see this movie!
She looks like a fun lady!
So fun! I cannot wait for this movie!
great interview. Can’t wait to see Frozen with my kids!
She looks like she was great to meet! #DisneyFrozenEvent
What a good interview! My daughter is really looking forward to this movie.
So fun! I would have loved to interview Kristen Bell!
What a great interview and experience. I really want to see the movie now.
I have been hearing so much about this movie. I want to see it now!
That’s so cool! She seems super nice. Can’t wait to see that movie! #DisneyFrozenEvent
Wow! This is amazing! What an awesome experience! She seems really cool and down to earth, like everyone’s friend! I can’t wait to see the movie, too!
Love her! So jealous you got to interview her.
OMG …. I am uber jealous… I love Kristen!! I now lived vicariously through you reading this.. lol
Aww how cool, that must have been so wonderful. Thanks for sharing the insider scoop, I loved reading the interview!
wow that is awesome! I just saw previews for this, it looks adorable!
I love Kristen Bell all the way back to her Veronica Mars days. Me and the girls are going to see Frozen Wednesday. So excited, looks like a great movie to get us into the winter mood.
how fun would that be!
She is super adorable.
sounds like a fun interview – cannot wait to see the prescreening tomorrow night with my daughter@
She is so cute. We are going later this week to see it!
So cool!!
I can not wait until this comes out on DVD so we can see it, I know I have a while.
I honestly used to think she was a little weird, but I’m starting to really like her. I can’t wait to see Frozen this weekend!
What an amazing opportunity! Well done!
She was so much fun to interview! What a sweet girl. No wonder Anna is so lovable!
It’s so fun that she had a very clear direction in her mind for where she wanted the character to go!
What a fun experience!! Love that she is so down to earth!!
I’m so glad she was as nice as she was!
she’s just too cute for words!
Kristen Bell is such a doll!!
I love her! she looks like she would be super nice 🙂
I think she is a Doll! I would love to meet her and interview her!
She seems like a fun person. Her charity that she works with sounds interesting, too. 🙂
She looks like a really fun and friendly person.
Love Kristen Bell!
What an amazing experience,you are so very lucky
LOve Kristen Bell! I also love that her company supports a charity. I love actors that give back.
Sounds like you had a great time! I have no idea who Kristen Bell is, I’m very ‘out of the loop’ but it’s nice to know there are down to earth celebrities out there!
Great interview!
Great interview!
Sounds like a great interview!
Sounds like a great interview!
OMGosh that’s so awesome, I can’t believe you got to interview her!!
love her. Great interview.
She was so cute and quirky!
What a dream come true! I would love to have sit down to discuss the movie with her – great job!
We don’t do disney, but it looks like you had fun!
What a super cool experience.. I’m soo jealous of you.. this sure seemed like a fun way to meet the voice behind the movie.. LOVED it.. the pictures are great..thanks for sharing
I’m so jealous you got to go to the Disney Frozen event! Kristen seems like such a nice, genuine person. I can’t wait to see this movie with my kids!
I’ve been so impressed with the diversity of roles she’s had over the years. She can be dark and dramatic, like her character on NBC-TV’s “Heroes”, she’s done romantic comedies, and if you’ve seen her on “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” you know that she is great at riffing, improv and one-liners. And how great is her singing voice!