Kristen Bell was named Real Simple’s first celebrity cover star. She spoke about her life, career, and relationship with husband Dax Shepard. Here’s what the Veronica Mars star had to say about not feeling qualified and how her husband has been one of her biggest supporters.
Bell says she often feels ‘underqualified’
Bell was recognized by Real Simple for helping to make parents’ lives a little easier. Bell and Shepard founded Hello Bello, a company that sells baby products at an affordable price point. She was also honored for her successful acting career.
Although Bell has done well for herself and is living a life many could only dream of, she says she often feels “underqualified.” There are moments when she’s overwhelmed by the thought she doesn’t have what it takes.
“I often feel underqualified, whether for an acting scene or a parenting moment,” Bell tells Real Simple. “When I feel wonky about my day, I tell my husband, ‘I like doing this, but I don’t really know what I’m doing.’ And he goes, ‘All you need to do is get the project to the finish line.’ When I think about it like that, I realize I might actually be good at it.”
Kristen Bell says Dax Shepard is a ‘challenger’
When asked about the game changers in her life, Bell says her husband is one of them. She appreciates the way he keeps her on her toes. She says when Shepard challenges her, it keeps things “interesting.” (Here’s the scoop on how Shepard and Bell met.)
“My husband keeps my mind and heart open and moving forward every single day, because he’s a challenger,” says Bell. “We disagree about 99% of the things on earth, which is just fun and interesting.”
Kristen Bell says her husband taught her to ‘drop the pretense of being perfect’
Bell says when she looks in the mirror, she likes what she sees. She stopped trying to put on a show and make people think she was perfect. Bell credits Shepard with helping her realize she could just be herself.
When asked how she is able to look in the mirror and like what she sees, Bell answers, “By dropping the pretense of being perfect.” She goes on to explain how her husband helped her let go of her desire for others to see her as someone without flaws.
“When I met my husband, he’d just recently started to be in recovery,” says Bell during her Real Simple interview. “If he found a pill, he’d be gone for three days. He’d miss Christmas and do lots of things that are inarguably bad things.”
Bell continues, “I was a goody-goody with a temper. He was vulnerable and communicative. That scrambled my brain, because I was like, ‘I’m the one who does things right, OK?’ And he was like, ‘But you don’t, because you’re scared to say what you really feel.’ It was hard for me to say when something scared me. I realized that when I talked more about my fears, I gained more respect from not just my husband but everyone in my life.”
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