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Kristen Bell can sing (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer on Broadway), solve mysteries (Veronica Mars) and make people laugh (Forgetting Sarah Marshall). The 29-year-old actress who is most well-known for her TV roles -- she starred as a teen private investigator on Veronica Mars, moonlighted as a mentally unstable electricity generator on Heroes and is currently the voice of Gossip Girl -- is back on the big screen again in Couples Retreat, a comedy about Cynthia and Jason (Bell and Jason Bateman), a Type-A woman and her husband who are struggling to have kids and are on the brink of divorce. They convince their six best friends to go on a South Pacific retreat with them where -- unbeknownst to their pals -- they'll all undergo extensive couples therapy.
iVillage spoke with Bell -- who in real life is dating actor Dax Shepard -- about her scariest moment during the movie's filming, her "wonky" eye and why being a homebody makes her feel "empowered."
From Forgetting Sarah Marshall to Couples Retreat, do you just love doing awesome date movies?
Of course I do! I love awesome dates. I love awesome date movies. It is important to me -- I do prefer movies that balance out the two sexes, that aren't too completely mushy and that aren't full of everything blowing up. I like boy-girl movies.
What do you want viewers to take away from the relationship between Cynthia and Jason?
I hope people will admire, as I do, Cynthia and Jason's dedication to making it work. They may not be doing it right, but their commitment never wavers. They really want to try. And I think that's the first step in any relationship. You have to want to try, even when it sucks. And the next step, which they didn't master until the end of the movie, is communication. You have to be able to talk about things and talk about your feelings.
How did you relate to Cynthia?
I don't have kids yet and I don't know that I can or cannot have kids. I'm not at the place where I'm about to have children, but I can definitely understand what it must be like. How devastating it must feel to be a woman who is ready to have kids and that's what she's wanted to do her whole life, and to be told you can't, that's got to be really hard news.
Cynthia's probably me on my worst, worst nightmare day. Because when I do get stressed out or tired, I really just want everything to be in order. I would like people to clean up after themselves. I just want everything to be in place and neat and orderly. Although on a day-to-day basis if I've had enough sleep, I'm not like that.
What's your best advice about how people can avoid having to go on a couples retreat?
Be in therapy at home. This movie doesn't get preachy, which I love. But it does put out there the option that tools help you in any relationship. I personally believe in therapy. I think that everyone should be open to it. I hope that everyone's open to it. Because if you're having problems in your relationship, what better thing to do than to analyze it, than to get a third opinion and to see if anybody has a solution for it.
What did you learn about relationships from the film?
That they all need maintenance. Even the best ones.
Do you have a favorite moment from filming?
We had a big Halloween party, because we were there during Halloween. In French Polynesia, the islanders were like, "They're dressing up like demons? What are they doing?" We had a Halloween party in the main dining room and Vince [Vaughn] had shipped like one hundred costumes from a costume shop, which I thought was really nice.
There's also a scary memory that's breezed by in the film, but there's a point where I'm supposed to jump in the water. About four feet from where I jump, there was a about a 3 1/2-ft. eel sitting there, staring at me with his mouth wide open and his eyes really wide, just leering at me like, 'C'mon, baby." It freaked me out. He didn't do anything. Maybe he was just a looky-loo or maybe he likes movies.
You've been very public about your lazy eye, calling it your "wonky eye" and doing tricks with it. Do you have advice for kids who also have lazy eyes about how they can feel it's cool, too?
What a great question. I think everyone should know that what makes you different is what makes you unique, and that makes you special. Nobody wants to be the same as everybody else. There's nothing fun about that. Think about if you have something special -- a special toy, a special stuffed animal, a special favorite food. That's nobody else's but yours, and I hope kids own their differences and celebrate them.
How do you make time for yourself when you're not working?
It sounds counterproductive, actually, but I stay home. I don't get a ton of time at home. I'm always traveling. I'm such a homebody at heart. I like staying in my pajamas all day. I love cooking. Cooking is very meditative for me and I also find that I feel very empowered when I'm domesticated. I feel very empowered when I'm doing my own laundry and I'm cooking for my household and I'm cleaning and I'm taking care of everything and I'm gardening. That really calms me down and it makes me feel worthy. I enjoy that kind of stuff. I hike with my dogs or walk to a restaurant. They're things that may seem lame but I really enjoy.
Do you think Kristen Bell has made it as a movie star, or will you always think of her as Veronica Mars? Chime in below!
