Hulu
The hit series Veronica Mars has been around for a long time. In fact, the series was canceled after its third season in 2007, more than 10 years ago. A lot of time has passed since the series began, focusing on when Veronica Mars was a high school student. How old was Kristen Bell when the series first started?
She Was 24 When She Played 17-Year-Old Veronica
Hulu
Kristen Bell was born on July 18, 1980. Veronica Mars‘ first season aired in 2004. This means that Kristen Bell was 24 when Veronica Mars first aired. Her character, Veronica Mars, was a 17-year-old high school student. It’s not unusual, even today, for adults to play high school students in TV series. On Riverdale, for example, 26-year-old Cole Sprouse plays highschooler Jughead and 25-year-old Camila Mendes plays high schooler Veronica.
Veronica Mars wasn’t Bell’s first role. In 2001 she starred on Broadway as Becky Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. That same year, she had a credited role on Pootie Tang, but her line was cut. She auditioned for Chloe on Smallville but didn’t get the part. In 2002 she was in a Broadway revival of The Crucible with Liam Neeson. She moved to Los Angeles in 2002 and was a guest on a number of TV shows, before winning the role of Veronica Mars.
Her Career Skyrocketed After the Show Was Canceled
Hulu
After the show’s cancelation, Bell got a role on the popular Heroes as Elle Bishop. Her role premiered in October 2007 opposite Zachary Quinto. (She turned down the role of Charlotte on Lost.) She was also the narrator on Gossip Girl. She had a starring role on Forgetting Sarah Marshall, along with roles on Serious Moonlight, Couples REtreat, Astro Boy, When in Rome, Get Him to the Greek, Burlesque, Scream 4, Big Miracle, and more. She starred on House of Lies from 2012-2016 and starred on Bad Moms. She’s currently starring on The Good Place and was the voice of Princess Anna in the hugely popular Frozen.
Today Kristen Bell is 39 and her character Veronica is 32, since the show takes place in the present day.
Bell is married to Dax Shepard and they have two daughters: Lincoln Bell Shepard and Delta Bell Shepard. Bell just turned 39 on July 18, but when she asked her kids how old she was, they guessed that she was 63 or 89. Her husband Dax is 44. He’s also a well-known actor who played Crosby on Parenthood from 2010 to 2015, among many other credits. He and Bell met at a birthday party for friend Michael Rosenbaum and began dating in 2007. They were engaged in 2010, but waited to get married until California made same-sex marriages legal.
They were married on October 17, 2013.
READ NEXT: Why was Veronica Mars canceled?
Comments
How Old Was Kristen Bell When ‘Veronica Mars’ Started?