Kristen Bell was hoping to depict a different type of love story in Nobody Wants This.
While Netflix’s latest hit has a distinctly Romeo and Juliet quality — she’s an agnostic podcast host, he’s an unconventional rabbi — the Bell/Adam Brody show also bears the unusual quality of two people genuinely trying to understand each other.
“The sweetest surprise about the response to the show is how many people have said they’re so thankful to see a healthy, communicative relationship onscreen,” Bell says.
As Erin Foster’s fall show keeps producing buzz (it was just renewed for a second season), The Hollywood Reporter chatted with its star about how she’s absorbing the phenomenon, reuniting with Brody and what kind of Jewish-based research she did.
What’s your reaction to the positive response the show has received?
It’s hard to wrap my head around it. It’s been thrilling to hear how many people have enjoyed it. That’s kind of my main goal with any type of performance. Ultimately, I just want people to have a nice escapism while watching something 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 I hadn’t worked in a while, by choice, and I never really know what I want to do next. I don’t have a grand plan. I read things and see if they connect, and I just thought the dynamic was very interesting and seemed like an endless cauldron of stories. In a romantic comedy, there’s usually a lot you can work with, and given the fact that they’re from such different backgrounds, this sort of Romeo and Juliet element about it was really modernized with it being current and their ages.
What initially drew you to the role?
When I’m reading a pilot, I’m coming at it from the audience’s perspective of A, can I relate to 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 like supporting a female showrunner.
How was it reuniting with Adam Brody after working together on House of Lies and Some Girl(s)?
I just know that he’s a hard worker and a delight to be around and a problem solver, so it was really a no-brainer. And when I read the first couple of pages, it became clear to me that these characters were going to have really great chemistry on camera, which I know Adam and I have, and he was going to 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, partly based on her own relationship, to the small screen?
Slightly nerve-racking. I’ve never played any [real person] before. And I wasn’t sure where to start with that, so I spent the majority of the time in prep just observing her and not attempting to take on her characteristics but rather attempting to observe how she moves in the world and how it might be different from how I move in the world. And using that as a basis for Joanne, because Erin is admirably confident and pretty carefree and blunt but also vulnerable. There are a lot of paradoxes about Erin, which made it really interesting.
What were you hoping people would take away from the show?
I hoped people would walk away and think weeks later about: Is love really this story we’ve been told about finding your puzzle piece, or is it something way more nuanced than that? Is it a choice that you have to continually make because you’re up against it all the time? And I think the latter, and I think the show did a good job of saying you can start off with connection and chemistry, but there’s a lot that’s going to stand in your way and you just have to decide what you’re willing to compromise on, depending on how badly you want it.
It was also refreshing to see a positive relationship depicted on TV. Did that element also draw you to the project initially?
I wasn’t aware of that until people started commenting on it because my perspective was completely from the inside of Joanne’s head. I wasn’t considering Noah’s behavior. I was considering Joanne’s missteps and Joanne’s anxiety and Joanne’s determination. I wasn’t really aware of it, but I’ll tell you what’s been the sweetest surprise overall about the response to the show is how many people, women in particular, have said, “I’m so thankful to see a healthy, communicative relationship depicted onscreen where it’s not just a bunch of crazy, toxic behavior. It’s two people really trying.”
This series also includes so many relatable moments. What was it like bringing those to the screen?
I have to congratulate the writers room with that. But also Adam and I, we worked hard to make these characters very real, and that’s one thing Adam is particularly good at. One of his special qualities is that when you’re acting with him, you just feel like you’re talking to a real person; you do not feel like it’s scripted. So I will say, I feel as though I’m a little bit different of a performer when I’m with Adam because he keeps me so grounded.
You’ve been a part of several successful shows throughout your career. Does this feel different?
I’ve never gotten a response to any show I’ve ever been a part of like this show. This is very much uncharted territory for me. … You can make a really good project, but there’s a bit of fairy dust when it happens to fall at a time, culturally or societally, when people really want something like it. And this was a time when people wanted a rom-com, so it just kind of hit its own bull’s-eye.
TV landscape when it comes to original versus IP content, and this show proved that original ideas are still wanted by audiences. What do you make of that?
I think there’s room for both, I really do. It also depends on the demographic you’re speaking to, because sometimes I’ll feel very comforted and nostalgic about watching a remake with my kids and want to expose them to it. Other times, I’ll feel like I’ve seen everything and I just want something new and fresh and crazy that I’ve never seen before. So I really think that there’s room for both to exist. Certainly I think big business thinks about it maybe a little bit differently because IPs tend to be tried and true, so I’m just grateful that people are still taking chances on new stories.
What’s your response to those who criticized the show for how it depicted “stereotypical” Jewish characters?
I don’t think I really deserve to make a response. That’s up to the people who were hired to play Jewish people and worked with the writers to create their dimensional characters to comment on.
While your character isn’t Jewish, did you do any research on Judaism to help prepare for the show overall?
Did not have to. Not my part. Joanne was being exposed to Judaism, so that actually would have been the antithesis of the work I should have done. I will say, I grew up in an entirely Jewish community. I was one of like two gentiles in my elementary school and middle school neighborhoods, so I did have a fair amount of education, but I didn’t use any of it.
Is there an episode or scene that was your favorite to film?
I really liked filming the fight scene with Morgan [Justine Lupe], the sisterly fight. They’re usually on the same team even when they’re arguing because the sisters are so close and I do love that dynamic, but I like tearing them apart a little bit so you could feel deeper for each of them. Also, Justine is an incredible scene partner. I love working with her and we got to really explode at each other. And I remember that scene starts with me banging on the door being like, “Morgan, Morgan, let me in,” and we did it three or four times from outside. I didn’t even realize 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 looking forward to the most?
This is tricky because my answer would have been to see where the characters are taken, but then I went into the writers room and now I know. (Laughs.) I’m just generally excited to do it all over again. I’m excited that people are going to be filled with anticipation. There is nothing better for an artist or a performer than to know that what you’re working on will be consumed and make people happy.
This story first appeared in a November stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
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