On Playing a Disney Princess in the Film Frozen, Her Voice, Sibling Rivalry, Friendships, and Her Upcoming Veronica Mars Movie
By Phil Thompson / The Interview Feed
Kristen Bell provides the voice of a perky princess named Anna, who desperately wants to connect with her inexplicably icy older sister in Disney’s new animated adventure Frozen. The youngest of three, Bell could relate to the love-hate relationship that often exists between siblings.
Bell co-stars in the musical comedy with Idina Menzel, who plays Olga, the heir to the throne of the fictional northern kingdom of Arendelle. The story is inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tale “The Snow Queen.”
On coronation day, the would-be queen unintentionally turns the sunny kingdom into a frozen winter. Embarrassed by her uncontrollable powers, Olga flees into the mountains. Bell’s Anna goes in search of her sister along with a friendly ice-hauler named Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), his trusty reindeer Olaf, and a talking snowman (Josh Gad) — built by Anna and Olga as youngsters.
Bell recently wed longtime partner actor Dax Shepherd in a quiet Beverly Hills civil ceremony, just months after giving birth to their daughter, Lincoln Bell.
Question (Q): You and Idina Menzel play sisters in this movie. Did you become close during the making of this film?
Kristen Bell (KB): She was so intimidating to me to begin with simply because I didn’t know her personally. She’s one of the best singers on the planet, in my opinion.
Q: But you completely hold your own. You have an amazing voice!
KB: Well, thank you. I studied music and I’m very proud of my capabilities, but Idina has a voice that has ferocity to it. It’s the next level.
Q: Do you have siblings of your own? Do you understand sibling rivalry?
KB: I have two older sisters, so yes.
Q: What was that like growing up? Do you have any advice on how to get on with your siblings?
KB: It was all phases for the three of us. Sometimes we got along splendidly and other times we fought like crazy. I think the greatest thing about growing up with siblings is that you actually have someone to go through it with, to feel like you’re not alone, because growing up is the pits. You forget, as an adult. I often play characters that are younger than me, and I have to get into that mindset. As a teenager, it sucks. Your body hurts. Your hormones are wonky. No one understands you. Your parents are embarrassing idiots. You cannot catch a break. But if you have siblings, you kind of have people in the same boat as you. It’s really special.
Q: How is it being the newest Disney princess?
KB: I’ve always wanted to be a Disney princess, because I’m an American girl and that’s what you’re supposed to want. But, I never saw Anna as a Disney heroine or an animated heroine. I saw here more like me, awkward. She speaks too fast and says things before she thinks and trips. She’s also vivacious and eternally optimistic and adventurous. So I never saw her as a traditional Disney princess. I think the story is anything but traditional. It’s like you don’t just want the prince, you want a whole new world and you want things more than true love or what the 1950s told you should want.
Q: In the film, Anna and Kristoff become really good friends. Who is your best friend?
KB: Truthfully, my husband is my best friend. My daughter is my best friend, too. I have two or three best friends out here and then I still have my very best friend from fourth grade who lives in Michigan whose name is Brooke who had a baby at the same time I did.
Q: What qualities do you look for in a friend?
KB: Humor, first and foremost. Because if you’re not laughing, what’s the point? Kindness. It makes me very uncomfortable when I’m friends with someone that treats strangers poorly. On set, I’m very aware of how actors treat the crew. I’m able to see their real personalities by how they interact with them.
Q: I have to ask about the “Veronica Mars” film. Did you ever doubt that it was going to happen or did you always know you would be able to make it?
KB: I’ve ping-ponged between knowing it was going happen, because I am eternally optimistic. That’s the only way to live. The whole old gang is back together and it was so much fun, because we all have children now. I really hope people like the movie because my utmost priority is that the fans feel like it was worth it. We did our darn best when people came to set to make it worth it. HBM
