CraveOnline: So, does Elle have a connection to Peter Petrelli? Does she work for the company? Do you know?
Kristen Bell: I have a lot of information about Peter’s past. She has ties to HRG and to Claire. There’s going to be a very interesting dynamic I think, between her and Claire as far as what is and what is not. And I think there’s going to be a deeper relationship there than people are expecting. They’re going to see maybe some parallels. But she also has ties to a little bit to Suresh. She’s a little messed up in the head which makes her really manipulative and always out to get what she wants. She doesn’t have many boundaries which I think is the really interesting part of playing this character on this particular show because the whole first season has been about these fairly good-natured people in trying to embrace these confusing abilities and being very conflicted as to how they should be using them. Elle is not that way at all. She very much enjoys her power and enjoys the emotional power it gives her over other people.
CraveOnline: If she's got all these issues, what will Elle's strengths be?
Kristen Bell: Oh wow, determination. She’s a very fierce and intense personality. When she wants something, she wants it and she wants it now which I think is good when you’re working with the good guys and is really bad when you’re working with the bad guys. I think that’s what she’ll kind of ping-pong in-between. She has an inability to decipher between right and wrong. That’s what makes her so interesting. She always thinks what she’s doing is right but it’s because she was raised by the company and not by a normal family that you’ll sympathize with her. I certainly hope you’ll sympathize with her in trying to understand how her childhood really messed her up. Then hopefully she can get a little bit of redemption.
CraveOnline: Is there a particular upcoming episode that you’re very excited about that we should watch out for good Elle stuff in?
Kristen Bell: Unfortunately it might be a little bit of a tease because I start in Episode five, and then I’m not in six or seven which I guess is sort of part of the mystery and at least that’s what I’m saying. Episodes eight and nine have a lot of Elle. They expose her storyline. A few of the storylines completely revolve around here. So shooting eight and nine was really great for me. I had a lot of stuff in eight and nine. And so I sort of have to hold out myself to be able to see eight and nine and sort of really see how the character reads as far as interacting with all the other storylines.
CraveOnline: It sounds like they gave you a lot of information, more than some other actors get. Coming from Veronica Mars, which was another mystery show, do you have a way of approaching these characters where you might not know the ultimate point of the story arc?
Kristen Bell: Yes. Actually that’s one thing that on the first season of Veronica Mars we struggled with a lot, all of the actors. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s just all about trust. I was, and I am giddy when I say it, a little lucky that when I was picked for the character, Tim let a few cats out of the bag which is exciting and certainly something that I would never repeat. But ultimately I think working on a show that centered around a mystery and that it’s of such vital importance that you have to trust as an actor that as long as you’re asking what details do I need to know, what should I be showing as far as like me being an actor and being able to tell the story adequately and foreshadow and things like that. O ther than that, you just have to trust your creator and your writers and your director that if you weren’t giving enough or if they needed to allude to something they would tell you. It’s just got to be all about trust.
CraveOnline: How long are you going to be on Heroes for?
Kristen Bell: Oh, funny you should ask. I think that this has been a great relationship so far. And there was no hesitancy with entering as far as becoming a main part of the show, just more like from both ends it was like let’s feel each other out and see how you fit into the show and if you’re happy. And it’s been a great relationship so far. So I’ll be one of the ones that keeps my fingers crossed that I won’t get killed.
CraveOnline: Do you have any idea how many episodes will be on this season?
Kristen Bell: Right now I think that I am signed on for 13 which, certainly to the discretion as how it fits into the major plot lines they could use me or I could just sit on the sidelines. Quite frankly, I hope they use me because I’m really having a good time. And then at the end of the 13 we decided to have a pow-wow and sit down and see if it make sense for me to continue.
CraveOnline: How do you balance the work on Gossip Girl with this?
Kristen Bell: Gossip Girl’s been great. I mean I’ve known Josh Schwartz for a little bit and was sort of happy when they wanted me involved in it. It’s sort of an easy deal for me because it’s not on camera. I’ve always dreamt about having a job where I could go and show up in my jimmies a nd that’s kind of what it is. I love and support Josh and it’s been a lot of fun.
CraveOnline: Heroes will also be the first time a lot of fans see you not as a teenager. Is that a relief?
Kristen Bell: Yeah. I have always played about ten years younger than I am which is a major blessing just even in real life. My family’s very petite and I have a young looking face and good genes I guess. I’m thankful to my parents. That being said, as an actor there are certain things that I’m going through in my own life in my late 20s that I’m experiencing. That’s what you draw upon in your acting. So I hope that I’ll be accepted as playing closer to my age. I know that I still look a lot younger but I’m thankful to sort of be out of teenageville a little bit. I don’t dislike it at all. I’ve just had my fill of it. I’ve had a lot of it.
CraveOnline: Right now Elle's going after Peter, and you mentioned HRG and Claire. What other characters would you like to interact with?
Kristen Bell: Oh, good question. I would like to most interact with, and this is for two different reasons, for on and off camera reasons, with Zachary Quinto. Zachary Quinto has been a good friend of mine for almost ten years now. I’ve always wanted to work with him and besides the fact that he’s pretty much the coolest thing because he’s so unpredictable and so downright evil. It’s almost hard for me to watch because it’s the polar opposite of Zach’s personality because he’s just the kindest, gentlest most giving person. I would love to see him and Elle face off one day. I think that that would be unbelievable.
CraveOnline: How do you expect your Veronica Mars fans to react to Elle?
Kristen Bell: Well, one thing I will say about Veronica Mars fans, they are extremely interactive whether it is on a street corner or whether it is on a blog. They are definitely interactive. I hope everyone will have fun with it. I mean honestly, I’ve been having a blast with it. It’s a little deeper character work when you have to really figure out someone’s intentions because I don’t even think evil characters are evil. They always think they’re doing something right. It’s to get to that sort of conflicted 'what’s the difference between right and wrong' kind of point which is fun and which is cool to work on as an actor. I mean I hope everybody’s going to have fun with it because I love rooting for the underdog but it’s also a lot of fun to play someone who’s a little crazy.
CraveOnline: Is it true you were also offered Lost, and why did you decide to be on Heroes instead?
Kristen Bell: Well, I think that the facts of the situation are that the media might have gotten a little ahead of themselves because I was not. I had been spoken to about possibly doing a role on Lost, but I was never actually offered one. That certainly would have been a wonderful opportunity but I think I have been such a fan of Heroes from the very beginning that this would have been the dreamiest situation I could have possibly thought up as my next job. So when Tim came forward I sort of pounced on it.
CraveOnline: Between Veronica Mars, Heroes, the potential for Lost and Gossip Girl, you seem to be attracted to cult shows. Have you had any bizarre run-ins with the fans?
Kristen Bell: The thing about cult shows for me is that I would so much rather be on a show that people are wildly obsessed with and watch because they can’t not, than on a show that people just turn on because it’s on Prime Time television. I think that the whole reason that as a performer and as a creator of a TV show you want people to invest in your project. You want people to love it, not just like it. As far as the coolest fans ever, which are some of the ones that I’ve run into, I mean it can get really intense. I’m not going to lie. The one thing that is different about those kind of fans because they are so invested more times than not when they see you, there’s much more like there’s tears coming and they don’t really know what to do with themselves because it’s not just like "Oh, that’s the person I watch on the television show." It’s like "That's the person I follow and am deeply invested in." There’s a lot of shaking and sweating palms and tears, but it’s precious.
CraveOnline: Going from a cult geek show to the ultimate mainsteam geek show, you must be a geek icon. What are your geeky guilty pleasures are?
Kristen Bell: ComiCon would be a geeky, guilty pleasure. I think the geekiest of all my pleasures at ComiCon is I’d definitely try to go around and get pictures with every single person who dresses up, because the people come in full costume. They just fascinate me, absolutely fascinate me. And what’s even more fascinating is that if I were to come in costume like dressed as a Storm Trooper, I would kind of expect the fact that people are going to want pictures of me. Most of the time when I ask them for pictures they’re like so, "Oh, all right, just make it quick" like it’s like so frustrating for them. It’s so fascinating to me because I’m like, "Well, you’re the one that came in costume so don’t get angry at me." Now I’m sort of coming into my own as a fangirl and seeking things out like the New Beverly [Cinema] in Los Angeles had a double feature the other night of Tron and The Last Starfighter. So I was like I kind of need to see that at least just once in my life because that seemed like an awesome double feature, you know? How about that wig he wore in the Last Starfighter? It was unbelievable. I don’t remember him wearing that wig, but the wind scene caught me totally off guard. It was phenomenal.
CraveOnline: What were your experiences working on the movies Fanboys and Forgetting Sarah Marshall?
Kristen Bell: Oh wow, two of the best experiences over the last few years of my life. Fanboys because it was a lot of my friends involved in it. It really introduced me to the world of Fanboys which I now love and respect so much. It was a bunch of Star Wars obsessed guys and I was the only girl in the movie. We had so much fun, I kind of can’t wait for it to come out. Plus we get to work with like a lot of people cameoed from Star Wars like Carrie Fisher and Billy Dee Williams. So it was a great experience. And then certainly to be a part of when Judd Apatow calls me at this point in his career is kind of a dream come true. Now I’m really happy to call those people my friends. I hope to be one of the people, one of the improv artists they draw upon in the future.
CraveOnline: Do you miss Veronica?
Kristen Bell: So badly, so badly. I do. I miss the crew. I miss the writers. I miss actually playing the character because there was a certain ease you get when you’ve been at a job for a while and you just feel like it clicks. You have a character like that that you’ve worked with for so long, there’s a certain part of you that is a little bit her and she’s a little bit you. It’s not only easy after a while, but it’s really fun.
CraveOnline: There’s been talk of Rob continuing Veronica Mars in comic book form. Would you have any aspirations to get in there and maybe write an issue or two yourself?
Kristen Bell: If he invites me. If Rob invites me to go mow his lawn, I’ll consider it. I have heard rumors of that, yes. I certainly hope it comes to fruition. I know Rob is a very busy man and rightfully so. I would not be opposed to being involved in that at all.
CraveOnline: Who is your favorite super hero?
Kristen Bell: Oh wow, my favorite super hero? Man, I like the little Pixie Girls I think because I can relate. I mean it’s great to love like She-Hulk or anything that’s like big and dominating but for me it would be like a Harley Quinn, something like that. Something I can relate to, something that I can feel I can accomplish.
