These days, our knowledge of celebrities too often originates with paparazzi images and snarky quotes by anonymous "insiders." After a while, it's easy to forget that stars are real people. That's why HuffPost Celebrity decided to launch its all-new #nofilter quick-fire question-and-answer series. Because how well do you know someone until they've shared their guiltiest pleasures?
How do you not fall in love with Kristen Bell? She's stunning, cares about real issues and is a happy-go-lucky brand-new mom. As an ambassador for Neutrogena Naturals, she's currently helping to launch Every Drop Counts, a campaign for water conservation which hopes to save 1 million gallons of water in October.
Bell chatted with HuffPost Celebrity about being an eco advocate, her Twitter proposal to Dax Shepard and how she kept a straight face during Jason Segel's nude scene in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall."
Do you mind telling us a bit about the Neutrogena Naturals campaign?
This is the third year I've been involved, and it's awesome. I've liked the Nature Conservancy for a really long time and I finally had a reason to be proactively involved with them after being a Neutrogena Naturals ambassador. It's just a campaign about awareness, to be honest. It's just acknowledging that it's really, really simple steps that can make a huge difference and that you don't have to be extreme to conserve a really helpful amount of water. October is just an example of the impact we can make collectively in saving water if you stick with it.
Why is this cause so important for you?
I strive to live a pretty conscious lifestyle. I think social consciousness or eco consciousness and knowing the needs of the people and the things around me rather than just being a bulldozer make me feel like a better person at the end of the day. It doesn't sound it, but it's actually pretty selfish because I feel better at the end of the day. I go to bed feeling like a positive contributor and feeling worthy.
How do you define beauty?
Beauty happens when confidence mixes with happiness. Confidence plus happiness equals beauty, always.
When do you feel most beautiful?
I feel beautiful all the time, because I choose to feel beautiful all the time. I think it's more the macro definition of beautiful for me. I'm not necessarily always talking about the aesthetic, I'm shifting the paradigm a little bit for the definition of beauty. I feel beautiful right now, and I'm sitting on my porch and I've got a baby sucking on my boob. Like I'm literally nursing right now, my top is half off, and if we're getting specific my left boob is hanging out and I still feel beautiful.
What's the No. 1 quality you look for in a mate?
Humor, always. Life is pointless if you're not laughing about it. I read someone's Twitter profile once, so I can't take credit for this quote ... I was just surfing so I don't even remember who this person was and I wish I did. But his profile said: "Everything deserves to be loved and everything deserves to be made fun of." And I kind of feel like that's just a wonderful mantra to live by, to love everything but not take life too seriously. That's my main quality in a mate, someone who can make me laugh.
How do you feel about scooped out bagels?
What's a scooped out bagel? That's my first feeling. I'm trying so hard not to judge, but I think it's utterly ridiculous. Don't eat a bagel. The beauty of a bagel is that it's carb-loaded! I'm not saying have a bagel four times a day, but once or twice a week, go for it, and get your ass on the treadmill after. Go bagel or go home!
When is the last time you cried?
I read an article about a homeless man in Boston who found a backpack filled with $2,700, a passport and $39,000 in traveler's cheques at the mall. He ran to the mall police and showed them what he found and asked them what to do. They returned it, and then some knucklehead, some beautiful, beautiful human being, started him a GoFundMe page and said "look at how awesome this example of good human nature is, can we give this man a second start at life?" His goal was $250,000 to start his life over, and in nine days they've already raised over $150,000. There's a picture on the GoFundMe page of this little old man standing next to the police commissioner who's making an announcement about his beautiful decision and for being a good Samaritan and it's the cutest picture, it's adorable. So I got teary eyed.
We know you became a mom to Lincoln in March ... what's the best part about being a new mother? What's the worst part?
The fact that you've the coolest toy you've ever seen aside, you get to watch a human being develop every step of the way. It's really interesting when it's your own kid. Having a new best friend is the best part of being a new mom. The worst part is seeing them cry and knowing that it's going to happen and sometimes you can't help it. You're overwhelmed with the desire to keep them safe and warm and happy and knowing that you can't meet every need is devastating.
We know you proposed to Dax via Twitter ... what part of your wedding are you most looking forward to?
Will I break everyone's heart if I say getting it over with? We're not having a wedding, we're choosing to make the celebrating of our unity be the rest of our lives as opposed to a party for one day. We're just going to sign our papers. We both agree to let the rest of our lives be the celebration of getting together instead of just identifying it as one day and time with a certain number of people; we want to live it. But can you imagine how embarrassing it would have been if Dax had said no on Twitter?!
How did you keep a straight face during your first scene in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall"?
Wow. I don't think they used the earlier takes. But when you've been exposed to a naked man for an extended period of time, the novelty starts to wear off. Sorry guys. After you've seen a penis for a while, you kind of lose interest.
What is Jason Segel like when he's not in character?
He's delicious. He's way bigger than you think, he's like 6-foot-4 and it's funny ... he's kind of sloth-like, but just his physicality. He's really slow-moving and kind. I move really quickly and I'm energized all the time and he's slow and thoughtful but his mind works really fast because he's such a good writer.
You're going to be in Disney's "Frozen" this November. What is your favorite Disney movie and why?
What do I choose, "Aladdin" or "The Little Mermaid"? I think I'm going to have to go with "The Little Mermaid" because Ariel was so curious, and I was like that as a kid so I really related to her.
You're also about to be on "Parks and Recreation." What's it like to work with Amy Poehler on set?
I've been friends with her for quite a few years, but I've never worked with her, and I was extremely intimidated. It surprised me because we're friends, but she's so good at what she does that I immediately felt incompetent because I have no formal comedic improv training. And she was so generous on set, it was just a lovely and comfortable experience and that's because of who she is as a person.
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