Kristen Bell Meets "Astro Boy"

Having the best of both worlds, Kristen Bell, who was recently seen in the title role in the highly successful comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall, gets to be a part of something as iconic as Astro Boy, while also being able to put her own mark on teenaged Cora, a character that is brand new to that world.

As Cora, the former "Veronica Mars" star gets to add an emotional tie for Astro (voiced by 17-year-old Freddie Highmore), as well as develop a back-story that audiences will want to learn about and can identify with. At the San Diego Comic-Con, the petite blonde talked about the unusual experience of voice-over work.

TeenHollywood: Is your character new to Astro Boy?

Kristen: Yes. She's new to bring a little bit of the female in, and to add a more emotional tie for Astro and make it more of a film. You usually have a boy-meets-girl story, although it's not a love story, by any means. It's more of a friendship story.

TeenHollywood: Did you know anything about Astro Boy, prior to this?

Kristen: I didn't know anything about Astro Boy, but luckily, our wonderful director, David Bowers, and our producer, Maryann Garger, gave us a formal education. I really learned from Freddie and from them, how beloved he is in Japan and overseas, in a whole slew of different countries. For some reason, he just hasn't come to America yet, and I think their goal was to just bring him here.

TeenHollywood: Did you look at any of the previous Astro Boy incarnations in preparation, or did you not do any of that, since it was a new character?

Kristen: Not a ton, for my character. I had what was available. They gave us a ton of research and knowledge about where it was coming from and why it was so important and what it means to people. But, because Cora was a new character, I didn't really have anything to base it on.

TeenHollywood: What's it like to play a character that's not from the original Astro Boy?

Kristen: Cora was brought in to tell Astro Boy's emotional story, a little bit more. Astro Boy and Cora befriend each other because they're both outcasts. And, Cora's given a history of having a very tough exterior, but being very hurt and soft on the inside. They follow her character, as to why that happens, which I think a lot of people identify with as well. I had nothing to go on because she was a new character, but she shares a lot of experiences with Astro and takes some of the ride with him. I think it's great for girls to have a female version. Although she's not at all what Astro Boy is, it's nice to put a girl in there, every now and again.

TeenHollywood: Was it better for you to have a fresh take on a character?

Kristen: Yeah. It's definitely less intimidating. I can't imagine what Freddie went through because there are so many people who love Astro so much, and want you to deliver exactly what they want. The good thing with Cora is that no one has preconceived notions. I can do what I think is best and, hopefully, won't be judged too much.

TeenHollywood: During the casting process, did they tell you that they wanted your real voice to come through, or did they want you to change it at all?

Kristen: There wasn't a ton of direction, initially. They were eager to collaborate. I tried to go a little higher, at points, not that I need to go any higher than I already am, because she is a little bit younger. She's only 17, so I tried to keep the tough exterior of a 17-year-old.

TeenHollywood: A tough, teen exterior? How so?

Kristen: I think that Cora emits a lot of confidence, but it's not really there. I couldn't explain, physically, exactly how I did it. I just knew that I had to have that in my head. She's covering for something. She's broken on the inside because she's really a little girl and she's trying to be a big girl. And, I'm a very big girl. No, not at all. But, I feel like I have a lot more life lessons than Cora does. Your demeanor changes from when you're 17 to later in your 20's. It's just something to keep in consideration, when you're doing the voice of a younger character.

TeenHollywood: Is there a certain anime tone that you had to capture in your voice?

Kristen: I don't think so. Everything it was based on was anime, but because this was more the American film version, there wasn't that much that I felt I needed to change. But, truth be told, when I got the script and was practicing it into a tape recorder or into my mirror, I thought, "I sound like I'm a human being, imitating a robot, imitating a cartoon," and I didn't think it was very good. But, once you get in there, the coaching that you get and the way that they cut it together, at moments, I was able to zone out and not hear my own voice, and just follow the movie. That speaks to how powerful the story is. I knew exactly what was going to happen and I still teared up, which could be looked at as either pathetic or awesome.

TeenHollywood: What did you enjoy most about voicing her?

Kristen: I really enjoyed that she has so many layers 'cause she really tried to grow up too fast, and she's sort of the den mother. She's the maternal aspect for all these runaway kids. And, I can very much relate to that young maternal instinct. She also has a sense of protection for them, and she's pretty sassy and opinionated, and keeps a very tough exterior. But, throughout the course of the movie, you learn a lot more about her and learn that she's a real softy, on the inside. You really see who she is.

TeenHollywood: When you saw Cora, what were your first impressions of her? What were you most excited about?

Kristen: Her wardrobe. It's fabulous. There are all these runaway kids and they have colorful junkyard wardrobe, so it's really cute. There's a lot of layers and colors. That's what I was most excited about. And, there's so much that goes into it, that nobody sees. They had options for her wardrobe. I didn't get to pick, but I did get to have feedback about what she should wear and what best describes her.

Characters in cartoons don't change clothes. It's not like a continuity, day-to-day thing, like a regular film is. So, you really have to do a lot of thinking into how you want to describe the character by what you put them in.

TeenHollywood: How much give-and-take did you and the director have, as far as the character goes? Was he very clear, or did he give you room to play?

Kristen: Both, believe it or not. He definitely let me try things I wanted to try. They were very eager to get my own voice in there and make it sound natural. As long as you got the point across, you were able to change the line. He's got the gigantic vision, but other than that, he really wanted us to bring our personalities to it. As long as it fit with the story he was trying to tell, he was eager to collaborate.

TeenHollywood: Do you think that the themes of this film are universal for everyone?

Kristen: The themes are definitely universal, but they're not themes that are shoved down your throat 'cause nobody wants that. But, for instance, Metro City, where everyone lives, floats above the earth because the earth is destroyed. The surface of the earth is very polluted and it's a junkyard, and that's just a fact. They don't really go into it. But, it's an interesting thing to take into consideration.

Robots are our servants and they're second class citizens and you're taught, "Don't treat them like human beings 'cause they don't deserve it. They're just robots." And, when someone like Astro Boy steps forward, and has emotions and real feelings, you see what people do with that. And then, there's the overall theme of maybe what makes you different actually makes you unique. At our core, everybody wants to be accepted, so we should all accept each other a little more.

TeenHollywood: What was your voice-over process like? Did you get to work with any of the other voice actors at all, or were you alone?

Kristen: Mine didn't take very long, at all. I would go in for one or two days at a time, over the course of six months, maybe 10 times, at the most. And, I was lucky because Freddie recorded before I did, so I was able to hear where he was coming from. Obviously, he had a lot more on his plate, with this film, than I did, so I based everything off of where he was coming from. He's the pivotal character, and he's who you're following, and I had to support him. It was great to be able to hear his lines mixed with mine.

I did get to record with Matt Lucas, for a very short amount of time, which was a great experience for me because I'm such a fan of his. And, I got to record with Freddie, right at the end, just for a few lines.

TeenHollywood: Having only your voice to work with, did you resort to a lot of physical gesturing to help you get into character?

Kristen: Absolutely. You want to make it as real as possible. If you fake it and you hear it back, it will sound like you're faking it. It will sound like you're trying to get out of a speeding ticket and faking it. The points in which Cora gets a little choked up, it had to be real. So, I just took the time that I needed and, luckily, got it there. But, because it's an action movie, there was a lot of gesturing, falling, hitting your head, flying through space and stuff like that, where you have to just make a bunch of random noises, which is the weirdest part of voice-over.

I was in the booth, trying to move as possible to make it real, and the sound guys were like, "Your clothing is so loud. Take your earrings off." If you rub your arms together, it picks it up because those sound systems are so amazing. So, I tried not to make noise with my body, but I was definitely jumping off the walls, in that booth.

TeenHollywood: You don't do that for "Gossip Girl," do you?

Kristen: No. I stand there with an attitude.

TeenHollywood: Did Rob Thomas ever finish his script for a Veronica Mars movie?

Kristen: I don't think that it is in script form yet, but I did get the pitch and it's awesome. And, he did pitch it to Warner Bros., but it wasn't picked up, as of yet. I think there's a lack of enthusiasm for it, over there. He's got so many other things going on now.

TeenHollywood: But, you'd be happy with his idea for where Veronica is now?

Kristen: Absolutely!

TeenHollywood: Having taken some time off from the character, do you miss her?

Kristen: Every day. So much. There were so many things surrounding that part, like the love from the fan base, which I'd never felt anything like. And, also, the sense of family that our crew had, going to the same job, every day. It was a character that I loved to play that was also really funny, really heartfelt and had a great message for girls. I do miss it a lot. I'm at peace with the fact that it's over, but I would like to do the movie and have a little reincarnation of her.

TeenHollywood: Are you looking to go back to TV eventually, or do you want to just stay in films now?

Kristen: I have nothing against television. I love television. Recently, the projects that I have been able to do or picked or have been offered, have been mostly film. But, I would love to go back to TV one day.

TeenHollywood: Is there a particular appeal of Sci-Fi genre films for you? Is there something you enjoy about the genre, or is it just about the script?

Kristen: Initially, my entrance into the genre world was, "Hey, this is a good script." But, the more I meet the fans and see how intelligent and into it they are, and how much they appreciate it, it's not like working in any other genre. The sci-fi world and the Comic-Con world, in particular, just has the coolest fans, and they love the work more than anyone else. No Comic-Con fans does anything mindlessly. They catch you when you're not doing continuity right, which is exciting. You can make something mindless for them.