On Mother’s Day We Thank All Moms

BY CLAIRE LYNCH

Mother’s Day is on Sunday, May 14, and this year one actress in particular stands out in my mind for speaking publicly about the joys of motherhood. Kristen Bell is someone who embraces her career and her family and she does her best to keep things balanced.

Actress and singer Kristen Anne Bell was born on July 18, 1980, in Huntington Woods, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. She is the daughter of Lorelei Bell, a registered nurse, and Tom Bell, a TV news director. Kristen Bell went to her first audition in 1992 and won a role in “Raggedy Ann and Andy.” She has said that at an early age she was drawn to entertainment.

Before she was 13, Bell’s mother got her an agent and she was cast in newspaper advertisements and TV commercials. At this time she began private acting lessons. Bell had an uncredited role in the film “Polish Wedding” which came out in 1998.

Kristen Bell attended Shrine Catholic High School where she took part in the drama and music clubs. She won the starring role of Dorothy in her high school’s production of “The Wizard of Oz” and also played Daisy in her high school production of “Lady Be Good.”

After graduating in 1998 Bell moved to NYC and attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where she studied Musical Theater. She left NYU in 2001 to play the role of Becky in “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.” That same year, she made her first credited debut in “Pootie Tang” which came out in 2001. Her name is listed in the credits. In 2002, Bell appeared in the Broadway revival of “The Crucible.” She then moved to Los Angeles, Calif., and appeared in a few TV shows as a special guest.

In 2004, Bell appeared in the Lifetime’s TV film, “Gracie’s Choice,” which received high ratings. Bell won the title role in “Veronica Mars” when she was age 24 and that started broadcasting in the fall of 2004. Bell starred as a 17-yearold detective, which put her alongside actor Enrico Colantoni who played her father in the role of Keith Mars. This series received very positive reviews and Bell received much attention for her performance.

In 2005, Bell starred in “Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical” where she played Mary Lane. The Showtime network aired “Reefer Madness” on April 16, 2005. The following year, Bell won the Saturn Award for “Best Actress on Television” for her performance in “Veronica Mars.”

In 2013, Bell was the voice for the main character, Princess Anna of Arendelle, in the Walt Disney Pictures animated movie, “Frozen,” which received the best animated feature award at the 86th Academy Awards. She performed the songs “For the First Time in Forever,” “Love is an Open Door” and “Do You Want to Build a Snowman.” Bell also voiced Anna in “Frozen 2,” out in 2019.

In 2007, Kristen Bell and actor Dax Shepard, who’s also from Metro Detroit, met at a mutual friend’s dinner party. They began dating on and off and were engaged in 2009. Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard co-starred in the 2010 film, the romantic comedy “When in Rome,” the 2012 film, “Hit and Run” and the 2017 film, “CHiPs.” They were married at the Beverly Hills County Clerk’s Office on October 16, 2013. They have two daughters, Lincoln and Delta, who were born in 2013 and 2014. Son Simon was born in 2018.

Asked whether “Frozen 2” and her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame were more signs she’s “made it,” Bell answered that, while she’s proud of the movie’s success, her true measure of success is the health and happiness of her family.

The family lives in Los Angeles but they go home to Michigan each summer to vacation on a lake. It’s the couple’s home state and that is where they unwind. Bell has said she’s learned more about her husband as they both shared stories about things they did growing up.

Dax Shepard is an actor, comedian, filmmaker and podcast host. Since 2018, he has hosted Armchair Expert, a podcast that interviews celebrities, journalists and academics about their lives.

Kristen Bell’s success has given her more opportunities to choose the projects she wants to work on. Last year on Netflix Bell did “The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window.” This show - one year with eight episodes - is a thriller.

Constantly seeking a balance between her family life and her career, to reduce stress Bell likes to exercise. She finds walking a quick and easy way to get some exercise.

About motherhood Kristen Bell has said:

“What I love the most is how much kids right-size your problems. You don’t really care as much. They just make everything better. So all the things you used to worry about just sort of disintegrate.”

“I still want a career. My kids will always be number one, but I think if you cut that cord of obsessiveness, then you can work and be a good mother and wife.”

“I am a parent that actually loves to hear advice from other mothers. I don’t care if your filter is judgmental or altruistic - I still want to hear it because it may be valuable to me.”

“I never understood my mom until I had kids. When she would look at me like I was the first drop of water she’d seen at the end of a desert trip and go, ‘You will never understand how much I love you,’ I would go, ‘God, get away! Enough!’ Even in my 20s, I just thought, ‘You’re so dramatic and overly sentimental.’ Now I look at my kids that way and think, ‘Wow, this is a cycle.’ Lincoln won’t understand it until she decides to have kids … that’s just the way it’s supposed to be.”

Happy Mother’s Day to one and all!