Kristen Bell Talks No One Wants This Success, Love, Teases Season Two

Kristen Bell hoped to portray a different kind of love story Nobody wants this.

While Netflix’s latest hit is clearly a Romeo and Juliet quality – she’s an agnostic podcast host, he’s an unconventional rabbi – the Bell/Adam Brody show also has the unusual quality of two people genuinely trying to understand each other.

“The greatest surprise from the response to the show is how many people have said they are so grateful to see a healthy, communicative relationship on screen,” says Bell.

As Erin Foster’s fall show continues to generate buzz (it was just renewed for a second season), The Hollywood Reporter chatted with its star about absorbing the phenomenon, reuniting with Brody and what kind of Jewish research she did.

What is your reaction to the positive response the show has received?

It’s hard to wrap my head around it. It was great to hear how much people enjoyed it. That’s kind of my main goal with any type of performance. Ultimately, I just want people to have a fun escapism while watching something that I’ve been in, and I feel like this has provided that for so many people.

Did you know the show was something special when you joined?

Yes, because by choice I haven’t worked in a while and I never really know what I want to do next. I don’t have a grand plan. I’d read things and see if they were related, and I just thought the dynamics were really interesting and seemed like an endless cauldron of stories. In a romantic comedy you can usually work with a lot, and considering they come from such different backgrounds, this is kind of Romeo and Juliet element about it was really modernized because it was current and their ages.

What initially drew you to the role?

When I read a pilot, I look at it from the audience’s perspective: A. Can I identify with this character at all? B, does this character have a very clear problem? And C, do I want her to solve it? Those are three of the questions I asked myself, and they were all yes. I also really enjoy supporting a female showrunner.

What was it like reuniting with Adam Brody after working together on House of lies And Some girl(s)?

I just know he’s a hard worker, a pleasure to be around and a problem solver, so it was really a no-brainer. And as I read the first few pages, it became clear to me that these characters would have great chemistry on camera, which I know Adam and I have, and that he would have to be endlessly charming to keep you engaged. , and it just makes sense.

What was it like working with creator Erin Foster and helping bring this series, based in part on her own relationship, to the small screen?

Somewhat unnerving. I’ve never played against a (real person) before. And I wasn’t sure where to start with that, so I spent most of the time preparing just observing her and not trying to adopt her characteristics, but rather observing how she behaves in the world is moving and how it could be different. of how I move in the world. And that as a basis for Joanne, because Erin is admirably confident and quite carefree and blunt but also vulnerable. There are a lot of paradoxes about Erin, which made it really interesting.

What did you hope people would take away from the show?

I hoped people would walk away and think weeks later: Is love really this story we’ve been told about finding your puzzle piece, or is it something much more nuanced than that? Is it a choice that you constantly have to make because you are constantly confronted with it? And I think the latter, and I think the show has done a good job of saying that you can start with connection and chemistry, but there’s a lot that’s going to get in your way and you just have to decide what you’re willing to do to reach a compromise. depending on how much you want it.

It was also refreshing to see a positive relationship on TV. Did that element initially draw you to the project?

I wasn’t aware of that until people started commenting on it because my perspective came completely from inside Joanne’s head. I didn’t take Noah’s behavior into account. I thought about Joanne’s missteps, Joanne’s fear, and Joanne’s determination. I wasn’t really aware of it, but I’ll tell you what has been the nicest surprise overall about the response to the show: how many people, especially women, have said, “I’m so grateful that I have a healthy, communicative relationship that’s on screen where it’s not just a bunch of crazy, toxic behavior. They are two people who are really trying.”

This series also contains so many recognizable moments. What was it like bringing that to the screen?

I have to congratulate the writers’ room on that. But Adam and I also worked hard to make these characters very realistic, and that’s something Adam is particularly good at. One of his special features is that when you play with him you feel like you are talking to a real person; you don’t feel like it’s scripted. So I will say, I feel like I’m a little bit different as an artist when I’m with Adam because he keeps me so grounded.

You have been part of several successful shows throughout your career. Does this feel different?

I’ve never had a reaction to any show I’ve ever been a part of like this show. This is very unknown territory for me. … You can make a really good project, but there’s a bit of fairy dust that comes out of it if it happens at a time, culturally or socially, when people really want something like that. And this was a time when people wanted a rom-com, so it was just a hit.

The TV landscape when it comes to original versus IP content, and this show proved that original ideas are still sought after by audiences. What do you think about that?

I think there’s room for both, I really do. It also depends on the audience you’re talking to, because sometimes when I watch a remake with my kids I feel very comforted and nostalgic and I want to expose them to that. Other times I feel like I’ve seen it all and I just want something new, fresh and crazy that I’ve never seen before. So I really think there’s room for both. I definitely think the big companies might feel a little differently because IPs tend to be tried and true, so I’m just grateful that people are still taking risks on new stories.

What is your response to those who criticized the show for the way it portrayed “stereotypical” Jewish characters?

I don’t think I really deserve to respond. That’s up to the people who were hired to play Jewish people and who worked with the writers to create their dimensional characters to comment on.

Even though your character is not Jewish, did you do any research into Judaism to prepare for the show in general?

That wasn’t necessary. Not my part. Joanne was exposed to Judaism, so that would have actually been the antithesis of the work I should have been doing. I will say that I grew up in an all-Jewish community. I was one of two Pagans in my elementary and middle school neighborhood, so I had a fair amount of education, but I didn’t use any of it.

Is there an episode or scene you most enjoyed filming?

I really enjoyed filming the sister fight scene with Morgan (Justine Lupe). They’re usually on the same team even when they fight because the sisters are so close and I like that dynamic, but I like to separate them a little bit so you can feel more deeply for each of them. Justine is also an incredible scene partner. I love working with her and we could really bounce off each other. And I remember the scene started with me banging on the door and saying, ‘Morgan, Morgan, let me in,’ and we did it three or four times from the outside. I didn’t even know it, but the next morning I woke up and my whole hand was purple from banging on the door.

Since Nobody wants this has already been renewed for a second season, what are you most looking forward to?
This is tricky because my response would have been to see where the characters are taken, but then I went to the writers’ room and now I know. (Laughs.) I’m generally excited to do it all again. I’m excited that people will be full of anticipation. There is nothing better for an artist or performer than knowing that what you work on will be consumed and make people happy.

This story first appeared in a November standalone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.