Here’s another nice little interview with Kristen Bell. She talks about her upcoming movies You Again, When In Rome and Astro Boy and actresses like Catherine O’Hara who she dreams of working with, plus more.
Eager to embark into the world of Metro City, Kristen Bell sets off in her first animated feature film: Astro Boy, the story of a young robot with incredible powers, and his adventure-filled journey in search of his destiny.
Cora, the character voiced by Bell, is a young runaway with a thorny exterior. She meets Astro Boy on the surface of the earth, after he flees Metro City – a gleaming metropolis in the sky.
Lost and unsure of his identity, Astro Boy seeks simply to fit in. Hiding his true nature, he tries to pass himself off as a human being with a gang of child-vagabonds, of which Cora is the leader. Astro’s innate goodness eventually leads him back to Metro City, finding his place as a true superhero.
In our exclusive interview with the actress, Bell chats about Astro Boy, her upcoming movie When In Rome and reminisces about her days on TV’s Veronica Mars.
Q: What did you enjoy the most about making this film?
Kristen Bell: Coming to work in my pajamas. [Laughs]. My work schedule was every easy. I went in about three or four times over the last year, and over the course of going in, I got to see different sketches and portions of the film. It’s just fascinating how many hands it passes through, and how each animator is given a different section of the film to work on. It’s exciting to see it go from a pencil drawing, to something with color, then a background, to the final product.
Q: What were your initial thoughts when you read the script?
Bell: Well I knew nothing about Astro Boy going in. I knew I wanted to be part of something animated. [But] the script itself has so many important messages. It talks about environmentalism, pollution, not judging a book by its cover, acceptance and tolerance—all important messages. I learned how iconic Astro Boy was overseas, and how he’s been the Mickey Mouse of Japan for quite some time. So, it was exciting to be a part of a project that’s important to so many people.
Q: The movie has many underlying themes – a predominant one being discrimination. Can you comment on that?
Bell: It is a fantastic theme throughout the movie. In Astro Boy’s world, they consider robots second class citizens, and you’re told not to get too close and not to [regard them having] feelings. Yet, throughout the movie you, see the robots actually having feelings and getting their feelings hurt. On the other hand, there are a set of kids who are faced with the decision to either continue to feel betrayed by Astro Boy because he is a robot, or to follow their hearts because their friendship is true and take his side, which they do and I think that’s a really important example to set.
Q: Tell us about your character.
Bell: I play Cora, who is a young runaway. She’s sassy with a tough exterior. She’s very opinionated, with a soft heart.
Q: Did you identify with Cora?
Bell: Oh, yeah, absolutely. We definitely share the love of sass and wit. I consider myself a softy at heart, too.
Q: Were you able to see any sketches of your character before you began recording?
Bell: I was shown a picture of my character right when I started. They asked for my opinion but what I found interesting is how they go about choosing a look of a character. Animated characters don’t change their clothes so you can learn a lot from a character’s wardrobe.
Q: What’s your next upcoming project?
Bell: When in Rome is a romantic comedy about a girl who is very focused on work and goes to her sister’s wedding in Rome. After getting a bit tipsy [at the wedding], she takes some coins from a wishing fountain as souvenirs, but what she doesn’t realize is that it’s an enchanted fountain and that the coins hold the love of whoever threw the coin in and made a wish. So, she is now obsessively stalked by five men in NYC who believe they are in love with her. So, she needs to figure out which love is real.
Q: How do you go about selecting roles? Have you thought about branching away from romantic comedies?
Bell: I don’t know. I look out for good material. It depends on what I read…I feel like I can be slightly picky but not much. I still audition for every role that I want. I think it’s a common misconception that most people don’t audition. But it’s hard for me to say what role I’ll do next because I don’t want to count anything out. I want to stay in the moment.
Q: When you think back to your Veronica Mars days, what comes to mind?
Bell: I feel very nostalgic when I think about Veronica Mars…Often times, I go into each job feeling like it’s my first. I don’t often think of my resume or where I’ve been as much as I think where I am now. All of the jobs that I’ve done have been fantastic but I don’t think about them on a daily basis—it takes being reminded of something.
Q: Any actors you’re itching to work with?
Bell: The list is so long, but I was definitely living a dream when working with Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, and Jon Favreau in Couples Retreat; they are best guys out there in comedy. I just worked with Sigourney Weaver and Jamie Lee Curtis in You Again. It was a real treat to work with fantastic women. I would like to work with Catherine O’Hara. I’ve loved her for a very long time. But we’ll see what comes to me.
