‘Veronica Mars’ star joins ‘Heroes’ cast

by Joshua Maloni
Niagara Frontier Publications, October 18, 2007

Over the course of its three-season run, “Veronica Mars” was often one of the best shows on television. Its secret to success, critically speaking, was the combination of title character Kristen Bell’s acting ability and creator Rob Thomas’ imaginative and complex plotlines. The show revolved around Veronica, a smart, sardonic high school girl and ace private eye. Though heavy issues existed in each story arch – think date rape, murder, a school bus driving off a cliff – the program was surprisingly witty and often humorous. Bell was magnetic, transforming a defamed and demoralized character into a cool, confident go-getter. Though the show ultimately lost favor with fans due to overly detailed storylines, Bell was considered refreshing and highly esteemed for her work. When “Veronica Mars” was canceled in May, Bell became a coveted free agent. Rumors immediately surfaced that she’d join the cast of ABC’s Emmy Award-winning “Lost.” To everyone’s surprise, she decided to become a member of a different type of supernatural skein. Starting Monday, Bell joins the cast of NBC’s critically acclaimed “Heroes.” The actress, a Detroit native who studied at New York University, considers herself a fan of the show – and a personal friend to stars Zachary Quinto (Sylar) and Hayden Panettiere (Claire Bennet). She will play Elle, a mysterious woman with a connection to Peter Petrelli (actor Milo Ventimiglia).

Kristen Bell joins the cast of NBC’s “Heroes” on Monday. (photo courtesy and copyright Chris Haston/NBC)

Bell says “Heroes” was must-see TV on the “Veronica Mars” set, thanks to its creative storytelling.

“What attracted me to ‘Heroes’ was the fact that when I caught the season premiere it was just so engulfing it’s like I couldn’t think about anything else,” she said Tuesday in a phone interview. “I mean when I’m telling you it was the water cooler conversation, I’m not kidding. Like we would come into ‘Veronica Mars’ and like the entire camera crew would stand around. It’d be like, ‘yeah, but did you see what happened last night and did you see who Claire’s father is.’

“Like there are hooks that people are able to sink into you when telling a story that I think (‘Heroes’ creator) Tim (Kring) has mastered, and I think Rob Thomas mastered for the, you know, the much smaller but certainly avid viewers that we had on ‘Veronica Mars.’

“It makes you want to be involved, you know. And I think they’re also really smart shows and they’re a little harder to follow, which I really expect. Because when you treat the audience like an intelligent member, they’re – you know, you tend to attract intelligent viewers.”

In addition to Elle’s initial contact with Peter, Bell says her character also “has ties to HRG (aka Noah Bennet, actor Jack Coleman) and to Claire. And 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 some – maybe some parallels.”

Unlike good deed doer Veronica Mars, Bell says Elle is self-centered.

“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, you know, fairly good-natured people in trying to embrace these confusing abilities and being very (conflicted) as to how they should be using them. And Elle is not that way at all. She very much enjoys her power and enjoys the emotional power it gives her over other people.”

That said, Bell says fans shouldn’t automatically write Elle off as a villain.

“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” Bell says. “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. And then, hopefully, you know, she can get a little bit of redemption.”

Thanks to her work on “Veronica Mars,” Bell is in position to make movies, act on stage or do television. The combination of her talent, charm and girl-next-door looks has made her an A-List star. Many actresses in her position would look to work exclusively on the Silver Screen, where the pay is higher and the shoots are shorter.

In choosing to work on television – Bell is signed for at least 13 episodes of “Heroes” – the performer is returning to a more comfortable spot.

“The medium’s for me the difference,” Bell says. “I mean I certainly love and miss theater. Film is so much fun as well, and it’s a little bit more like camp because you’re usually on location and you have a couple months of people that you get really close with, and then it’s always sort of like end of the summer syndrome.

“With TV I really like the security. And I like the sense of family. I mean I like knowing who I work with.

“I work in this business because I like performing, and I also really like the creative relationships. And I think coming to work with people that you love and being able to see them on a daily basis is a really special thing.

“And not that many people get to absolutely love what they do. And I’m lucky to be one of those people.”

Kring, too, realizes his good fortune in adding Bell to a show overflowing with talented actors and crackerjack writing.

“We are trying to make a show that works on many levels,” he said Thursday. “All of them high. We take very seriously our nominations and awards and critical acclaim and commit ourselves every day to being the best show we can be. It all starts on the page and that has always been our main focus. Without the written material, you don’t get the opportunity to attract actors of the caliber of a Kristen Bell. So those two elements are very interdependent.”

“Heroes” airs Mondays, at 9 p.m., on NBC (Ch. 2).