"Unforgettable" Kristen Bell

You might have seen the ads "Sarah Marshall: My Mother Hates You" and "Sarah Marshall: You're Lousy in Bed". These and other bitter-boy break-up slogans scrawled on billboards support the plot of the new "romantic disaster" comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall. When his longtime girlfriend, T.V. star Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) breaks up with him, struggling musician Peter (Jason Segel) heads to Hawaii to heal only to find Sarah and her new rockstar hunk staying at the same hotel. [Warning: This film has some nudity and is rated "R"].

Playing a hot TV star wasn't a big stretch for "Veronica Mars" and 'Heroes" alum Kristen but this kind of broad and raunchy comedy was new to her. For our Beverly Hills chat, Kristen looked classy casual in white tee, gray vest, jeans and accessorized with small gold earrings and a long, beaded necklace. It was a pleasant, kicked-back afternoon as the actress talked about her own post-breakup strategy, the fact that she misses singing and would love to be in a musical film and will she, as the voice of "Gossip Girl", ever guest on the show in a big reveal? Stay tuned....

TeenHollywood: What is with crazy Russell Brand who plays your rocker lover in this movie? He seems pretty far out there.

Kristen: The thing about Russell is when he's on, he has the vocabulary of an alien and he is hysterical. But when he's off and more just one on one, I don't mean to ruin his street cred right now, but he is really kind and he is much softer. We had a lot of [hot] scenes together and we didn't really know each other that well but he was so comfortable to work with and quite protective actually.

TeenHollywood: Sarah breaks up with Jason Segel's character because he's just too lazy.. and she's met another hot guy of course. Have you ever dated a couch potato and tried to get him off the couch?

Kristen: Well, I've been the couch potato. I tend to work very hard when I'm working and then in my off time I barely leave the house. I'm definitely one or the other. I will either have three jobs at one time like I do right now or I will just be completely stuck in bed all day, every day, watching reruns of Jeff Corwin and just happy as a clam.

TeenHollywood: Have you ever made a date hold your purse while you have a picture taken?

Kristen: I've had a couple different people in my life hold my purse so I would never ask anyone, friend, boyfriend or anyone, to do it too many times. I think it really does strip you of your dignity a little bit. In a pinch, it's nice if somebody is doing it for you as a favor but when asked repeatedly, the amount of times they show him [Jason's character] holding Sarah's purse is what really gets it to be like 'Oh, it's no longer a favor. This is embarrassing'.

TeenHollywood: Sarah has to defend her cell phone horror movie. Didn't you do one of those?

Kristen: Here's the irony in this situation. I did a movie that was about electronics coming to kill you [Pulse]. Fact. [The writers] wrote that scene and I said, 'Really guys? Really? Like this is hitting home too much.' And honestly, sincerely, they went 'But what do you mean?' And I said, 'The cell phone thing.' They were like 'You don't think it's funny? I think it's hysterical. A plot line about a killer cell phone.' And I was like, 'Because I did the movie about the cell phone, dude!' And they were like 'You did?' We laughed about that for a week. I bugged them about it for a while. They really didn't know I did that movie.

TeenHollywood: Had there always been that little element in the script that makes Sarah Marshall a more sympathetic character toward the end?

Kristen: It went back and forth but it was definitely a balance of wanting to make her likeable but also there's so much comedy in the ditsy, bitchy parts of her, but also accurately portraying that she did have her reasons for breaking this up. It doesn't appeal to her anymore to be with someone who has completely locked themselves in the apartment and survives solely on Fruit Loops. You know what I mean? She was looking for something different. A lot of the speeches were improv-ed and some of them were what Jason wrote pretty brilliantly which is what let you in on her thought process and didn't demonize her so much.

TeenHollywood: Were you comfortable with all of that improv because you've done a lot of structured shows? Was it fun to participate or was it daunting for you?

Kristen: Both. It was very nerve-wracking and it was a lot of fun and you just had to go in there and be game. You had to just try. And you had to come in with specific decisions made about your character and you also had to come in willing to let any of those be bulldozed by other people.

TeenHollywood: Both Sarah and her ex Peter go to Hawaii after their break-up. What and where would be your escape choice after a break up?

Kristen: I would have a national tour of theme parks. Oh yeah! Mindless entertainment.

TeenHollywood: What are your top five?

Kristen: Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio. Knott's Berry Farm out here. Disneyworld, Florida. Those are probably the top three. I do love theme parks. I love roller coasters. I grew up near Cedar Point. We went every summer. It was about a 2-1/2 hour drive from Detroit where I grew up. They always outdo themselves the next summer bringing in another enormous roller coaster and I was there for the opening of The Magnum which, I think is the third tallest in the world. And I fully went on opening day.

TeenHollywood: That's what makes you happy and that's what you do?

Kristen: Oh yeah, I love it. I don't really scream. I sort of just freeze up. But I do really like that feeling when your stomach goes up into your mouth. [laughs]

TeenHollywood: Did you have to learn to surf for this movie and did you save any of that cool beach wardrobe for yourself?

Kristen: I didn't have surfing lessons. Mila [Kunis] had Japanese lessons. I had horseback riding lessons and Russell and Jason had surfing lessons.

TeenHollywood: I don't remember horses in the movie.

Kristen: That scene has actually been cut from the movie but it'll be on the DVD. In two sessions I was remembering all the stuff that I grew up with so [the trainer] was like 'Well we can just mess around' and there were beautiful trails and we were right on the beach and she let me go swimming with my horse, Baba, into the ocean. He's the greatest horse in Hawaii. We went into the water because Baba loves to swim and so we'd go up to my waist and he's completely submerged with just his head sticking up and he'll start to paddle around. It is a divine experience.

TeenHollywood: So did you get to keep the cool wardrobe?

Kristen: Unfortunately, I didn't. Believe me, I wish I did. Sarah Marshall has the best wardrobe ever.

TeenHollywood: Summer's coming. How do you get ready for the beach?

Kristen: Here's an embarrassing thing that I'll admit. I have lived in Los Angeles. It will be six years in October. I can maybe count a dozen times I've ever been to the beach. I went to the beach a lot in Hawaii. Basically it's just SPF, a ton of SPF, because I don't want to burn.

TeenHollywood: What about your music? Don't you miss singing?

Kristen: Very much.

TeenHollywood: So are you thinking of being in a musical movie?

Kristen: Yeah. You never really know when things come up and it's definitely a priority to go back. I just sang in a benefit that we did for Alzheimer's a couple weeks ago so keeping it on the forefront of my life is very important. We did all the selections from 'Bye Bye Birdie' so I sang 'A Lot of Livin' to Do' which was really fun.

TeenHollywood: What other movies do you have coming out? Is Fanboys ever coming out?

Kristen: I'm disappointed that it hasn't come out yet. I don't know where it is. I haven't seen it. I can't really make a judgment call. They've had quite a few release dates for it. I'm just trying to stay as supportive as possible because I really don't know any more than you do.

TeenHollywood: Do you know if there are any plans to reveal who Gossip Girl is?

Kristen: I don't think so. When you watch the show, she's just more of a narrator that doesn't actually exist. So I don't think so.

TeenHollywood: Would you do more TV?

Kristen: Yeah, if I liked it, if it was the right stuff. I don't really separate the mediums in my head so much. I did 'Heroes' because I really loved the show. It would depend on what it was. It's the same thing as taking a film role. It depends on what it is.

TeenHollywood: It's weird that Sarah's popular TV show is cancelled. You've been through that.

Kristen: Right. It's weird. 'Veronica Mars' was cancelled two weeks before we shot that scene so it was completely a realistic reaction. We knew our numbers were stagnant. They weren't bad and they weren't good, but they were holding. I understand that being the head of the network you also have to take into consideration how much space you can sell and commercials. That's really what it's based on. So I totally get it, the business aspect of it, but it was just heartbreaking because those people were my family in San Diego.

TeenHollywood: Do you still keep in contact with a lot of the cast?

Kristen: I'm seeing 10 of them tonight for dinner at my house. [laughs] We probably do it once every four or five months. We get together probably three times a year.

TeenHollywood: Are you cooking for that many people?

Kristen: Yes. Well people are bringing stuff as well. We do keep in touch a lot which is great because we did get along really, really well and that sort of family aspect hasn't been lost, and Rico and I are still really, really close and I love that.

TeenHollywood: After the Writers Strike, are you back on "Heroes"?

Kristen: Yes. There's more that you will see. As far as I'm concerned, I am going back. I'm not under contract but I've had such a good relationship with them and I've had so much fun doing it and had such a great storyline and I've shot two episodes that won't air until we shoot the entire arc. I did take a movie in New York for 12 weeks. So I'll be about 4 weeks late coming back but they'll be able to file my scenes in and I'll just shoot a condensed version right when I get back and then catch up to everyone else and they don't air until September so they have the ability to do that.

TeenHollywood: Is that movie you are shooting When in Rome? Is it shooting in Rome?

Kristen: Right. I'm not very well traveled and I'm so excited to go. I'm excited to go back to New York for sure and the majority of it is in New York and I went to NYU so that's sort of my old stomping ground.

TeenHollywood: It's a romantic comedy and you throw coins in the Trevi Fountain?

Kristen: Yes. She accidentally puts seven coins in her pocket from the fountain and throughout the course of the movie there are seven suitors that had thrown them into the fountain wishing for passion or love or a connection and start to stalk her in a really freaky way.

TeenHollywood: Have they cast all the suitors yet?

Kristen: I can't really say because they're not signed yet but they're in negotiations with some awesome actors and comedians. I'm genuinely excited about it because a lot of the people involved I've actually been excited to work with for a while.

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Lynn Barker is a Hollywood-based entertainment journalist and produced screenwriter.