美国国家公共电台 NPR Kristen Bell Drew From Personal Pain To Flesh Out 'Frozen 2' Character

 

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

"Frozen II" has swept the holiday movie season with all the elements you'd expect - wind, water, fire, ice and, of course, a big ballad¹...

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "INTO THE UNKNOWN")

IDINA MENZEL: (Singing) Into the unknown, ah, ah, oh, oh...

GARCIA-NAVARRO: What's not unknown is how beloved this movie franchise² is. Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff and, of course, Anna. We got to talk with Kristen Bell - that's Princess Anna herself - about what it was like to expand the world of "Frozen." And she told us that "Frozen's" screenwriter Jennifer Lee really collaborated³ with her about how Anna would grow in this movie.

KRISTEN BELL: Before writing this, Jen Lee and I sat down. She said, what do you want Anna to deal with? And I said, I really would like to see Anna face her codependency head on.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: (Laughter).

BELL: She's so similar to who I am. Like, I really - the first script, I added a ton of things that I wanted to see out of this character that was kind of just a love letter to my 10-year-old self. I wanted to play a princess who didn't have good posture⁴, who tripped and who spoke⁵ before she thought about it and was constantly believing in people around her and thought that love was her superpower. But that can come at a price. And I'm ferociously⁶ codependent. And it's taken me a long time to learn what to do when I'm alone. And in this movie, you see Anna have to pick herself back up and make some decisions on her own, which is really hard for her. And it takes a lot of practice.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Well, let's listen to a song that kind of talks a little bit about that. It's called "The Next Right Thing." Here's a clip.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE NEXT RIGHT THING")

BELL: (As Anna, singing) This is cold. This is empty. This is numb⁷. The life I knew is over. The lights are out. Hello, darkness. I'm ready to succumb⁸.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I mean, hello, darkness. I'm ready to succumb. Anna seems very, very sad, and it's rare that we hear such an openness about this sort of thing in a children's movie.

BELL: Yeah, that song - you know, the kernel⁹ of the idea, I suppose, came out of this talk about codependency. And I suffer from anxiety and depression. And I said, I would really like to see her feel that. I think sometimes they go hand-in-hand, at least for me. And I said I'd really want a song about what she's going to do when she doesn't know what to do.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: You mentioned your own struggles. Why has it been important for you now to talk about that?

BELL: You know, I think - I didn't talk about it for a very long time. And the night before I was about to do a longform interview with Sam Jones, I said to my husband, what do I talk about? It's an hourlong interview. And he said, why don't you talk about your anxiety and depression? And it was like I was immediately scared because I suffer from the shame stigma¹⁰, as well. And I all of a sudden was flooded with these feelings of irresponsibility that I had presented this very bubbly human being for so many years. And I just thought, wow, we're all monkeys. We look to each other for guidance and example. Why don't I talk about this? Why don't I break the spell this shame stigma has on me as an example and - because it's the right thing to do. Because if any little girls are looking to me saying, how is she happy all the time? - they need to know that might not be the truth.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Has it helped you?

BELL: Yeah, that's funny. I - yeah, it has because I still - every time I talk about it, I feel this little, tiny feeling bubble inside my belly¹¹ that's like, let's - don't talk about that stuff. Like, that sort of - this 1950s vibe of keeping everything perfect. And I now feel way more responsible telling my whole story and being a well-rounded representation of a human being. It's not someone who has everything together that struggles just like anyone else. My house is a mess (laughter). I'm sitting here in a chair, unshowered. I'm wearing socks and sandals. You know, we're just - we're trying our best every day.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Why do you do a lot of voice acting¹²? - because you have done a lot of it in your career - not just "Frozen," but you've done guest-ins on tons of animated¹³ shows - "Big Mouth." You've been the voice of Lucy for the "Assassin's Creed¹⁴" video game series. What does that bring to you?

BELL: Well, when I was growing up - the whole reason I became an actor was I started out as a mimic¹⁵. I'm - there's a tic inside my head that mimics¹⁶ everything from a subway ding to the way someone with an accent says something. It happens inside my head on repeat. And I don't quite know how to describe it. But then I started studying music because sounds were so important, my ears are so sensitive. And I - they really are because I find in really loud places, I get a little bit of stimulus¹⁷ overload¹⁸. So I started studying music. And I just like creating sound. And then there's something about only using your voice and creating a sound that will induce a feeling in someone else, not being able to use your face but then relying on an animator to tell the rest of the story. There's something about that partnership¹⁹ that I just find really thrilling.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: And also just looking at your career, you seem to have really gravitated more towards comedy. But there's also an undertone of drama. What kind of roles draw you? What is it that you're looking for?

BELL: Well, I never thought I would just get into comedy. I've never done stand-up. I've never took formal improv classes. I feel like there has to be a sincerity²⁰ behind comedy for it to really be funny to me. Somehow the convergence of the emotion of sincerity and perhaps darkness mixing with comedy has always been stimulating²¹ to me. But also the idea that what I think has been a little bit of a thread, at least what I gravitate towards with, like, Sarah Marshall or Veronica Mars or Eleanor Shellstrop on "The Good Place" - taking a character that is inherently unlikable on the page and then figuring out in my head how to get you to like her, to root for her.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: What is that, though, that thing that would draw you to that - to want to make people like someone who is unlikable? Is it like a feeling that everyone is likeable, ultimately? Is that sort of the message?

BELL: I mean, a little bit. You know, I think some great actors - I think it was Meryl Streep or something that said even when you're playing a villain²², you have to like something about them. You have to know what's driving them. I remember an executive having on their - behind their desk a sign that said what does the villain want.

So yeah, you do have to - no one is inherently evil. I don't believe that. I think people are coming from damaged places. I think people have mismanaged ideals. And sometimes, greed or, you know, anger or malicious²³ intent sort of fills that empty void. But it's always coming from someplace that's human. And there's just something really stimulating to me about digging deeper into character and finding what that is. Like, Eleanor Shellstrop on "The Good Place" - she's known to be a jerk. She doesn't want to engage with anyone because they always let her down. But there's just something about digging deeper and looking at a character's motivations. The most interesting ones I find are the ones that have a sort of deeper wound that they're working from.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Kristen Bell, thank you very much for talking with us.

BELL: Thank you.

1 ballad   

n.歌谣，民谣，流行爱情歌曲

参考例句：

• This poem has the distinctive flavour of a ballad.这首诗有民歌风味。
• This is a romantic ballad that is pure corn.这是一首极为伤感的浪漫小曲。

2 franchise   

n.特许，特权，专营权，特许权

参考例句：

• Catering in the schools is run on a franchise basis.学校餐饮服务以特许权经营。
• The United States granted the franchise to women in 1920.美国于1920年给妇女以参政权。

3 collaborated   

合作( collaborate的过去式和过去分词 )； 勾结叛国

参考例句：

• We have collaborated on many projects over the years. 这些年来我们合作搞了许多项目。
• We have collaborated closely with the university on this project. 我们与大学在这个专案上紧密合作。

4 posture   

n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势

参考例句：

• The government adopted an uncompromising posture on the issue of independence.政府在独立这一问题上采取了毫不妥协的态度。
• He tore off his coat and assumed a fighting posture.他脱掉上衣，摆出一副打架的架势。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 ferociously   

野蛮地，残忍地

参考例句：

• The buck shook his antlers ferociously. 那雄鹿猛烈地摇动他的鹿角。
• At intervals, he gritted his teeth ferociously. 他不时狠狠的轧平。

7 numb   

adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木

参考例句：

• His fingers were numb with cold.他的手冻得发麻。
• Numb with cold,we urged the weary horses forward.我们冻得发僵，催着疲惫的马继续往前走。

8 succumb   

v.屈服，屈从；死

参考例句：

• They will never succumb to the enemies.他们决不向敌人屈服。
• Will business leaders succumb to these ideas?商业领袖们会被这些观点折服吗？

9 kernel   

n.(果实的)核，仁；(问题)的中心，核心

参考例句：

• The kernel of his problem is lack of money.他的问题的核心是缺钱。
• The nutshell includes the kernel.果壳裹住果仁。

10 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

11 belly   

n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛

参考例句：

• The boss has a large belly.老板大腹便便。
• His eyes are bigger than his belly.他眼馋肚饱。

12 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

13 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。

14 creed   

n.信条；信念，纲领

参考例句：

• They offended against every article of his creed.他们触犯了他的每一条戒律。
• Our creed has always been that business is business.我们的信条一直是公私分明。

15 mimic   

v.模仿，戏弄；n.模仿他人言行的人

参考例句：

• A parrot can mimic a person's voice.鹦鹉能学人的声音。
• He used to mimic speech peculiarities of another.他过去总是模仿别人讲话的特点。

16 mimics   

n.模仿名人言行的娱乐演员，滑稽剧演员( mimic的名词复数 )；善于模仿的人或物v.（尤指为了逗乐而）模仿( mimic的第三人称单数 )；酷似

参考例句：

• Methods:Models were generate by CT scan,Mimics software and Abaqus software. 方法：采用CT扫描，Mimics软件和Abaqus软件的CAD进行三维有限元模型的创建。 来自互联网
• Relaxing the mind and body mimics the effect that some blood-pressure pills would have. 放松身心会产生某些降压药才能产生的效果。 来自辞典例句

17 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

18 overload   

vt.使超载；n.超载

参考例句：

• Don't overload the boat or it will sink.别超载，否则船会沉。
• Large meals overload the digestive system.吃得太饱会加重消化系统的负担。

19 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

20 sincerity   

n.真诚，诚意；真实

参考例句：

• His sincerity added much more authority to the story.他的真诚更增加了故事的说服力。
• He tried hard to satisfy me of his sincerity.他竭力让我了解他的诚意。

21 stimulating   

adj.有启发性的，能激发人思考的

参考例句：

• shower gel containing plant extracts that have a stimulating effect on the skin 含有对皮肤有益的植物精华的沐浴凝胶
• This is a drug for stimulating nerves. 这是一种兴奋剂。

22 villain   

n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因

参考例句：

• He was cast as the villain in the play.他在戏里扮演反面角色。
• The man who played the villain acted very well.扮演恶棍的那个男演员演得很好。

23 malicious   

adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的

参考例句：

• You ought to kick back at such malicious slander. 你应当反击这种恶毒的污蔑。
• Their talk was slightly malicious.他们的谈话有点儿心怀不轨。