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Re:Thinking with Adam GrantRe:Thinking with Adam Grant

What if Veronica Mars and Seth Cohen hooked up...? #nobodywantsthis

You probably know Kristen Bell as the star behind characters like Veronica Mars, Princess Anna from Frozen, and Eleanor from The Good Place. In this episode, Adam sits down with Kristen live at BetterUp’s Uplift leadership summit to examine how she’s learning to overcome her people pleasing tendencies and stop internalizing other people’s emotions. Kristen gets in character to demonstrate how to be honest without being unkind. She also makes the case that compliments are underrated, opens up about her strategies for dealing with envy, and offers a surprising theory of why we overexplain. Join us in person at a TED conference: https://tedtalks.social/events Become a TED Member to support our mission: https://ted.com/membership Subscribe to a TED newsletter: https://ted.com/newsletters Follow our podcasts! Podcasts: https://www.ted.com/podcasts Fixable: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/fixable How to Be a Better Human: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/how-to-be-a-better-human ReThinking with Adam Grant: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/rethinking-with-adam-grant TED Talks Daily: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/ted-talks-daily TED Business: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/ted_business TED Health: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/ted-health TED Tech: https://www.ted.com/podcasts/ted-tech The TED Audio Collective is a collection of podcasts for the curious. The TED Audio Collective videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (https://www.ted.com/about/our-organiz...). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com.

Kristen BellguestAdam Granthost
May 7, 20261mWatch on YouTube ↗

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Kristen Bell explains on-screen chemistry through nostalgic crossover appeal factor

  1. Adam Grant frames on-screen chemistry as both something you can test in auditions and something you can intentionally build with a collaborator.
  2. Kristen Bell says the widely praised “electric” chemistry in Nobody Wants This is a major audience talking point, even acknowledged by her husband Dax Shepard.
  3. Bell argues that part of the chemistry comes from a “buried nostalgia” effect: viewers subconsciously connect her earlier role as Veronica Mars with her co-star’s past identity as Seth Cohen.
  4. She suggests audiences have long desired TV “crossovers,” and that latent wish fulfillment can amplify perceived romantic chemistry on screen.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Chemistry can be assessed and engineered.

Grant distinguishes between testing for chemistry during reads/casting and deliberately building it when you’re already paired with someone, implying two different skill sets and strategies.

Audience “electric chemistry” may be partly pre-loaded.

Bell suggests viewers bring prior associations to new performances, so what feels like spontaneous chemistry can be boosted by existing emotional memory of earlier characters.

Nostalgia can function like hidden context in a scene.

By invoking Veronica Mars and Seth Cohen, Bell points to an implicit backstory viewers carry, which can intensify the impact of romantic moments without explicit narrative setup.

Crossover wish-fulfillment is a powerful driver of engagement.

Bell notes fans often want characters from beloved shows to intersect; when a pairing echoes that desire, it can heighten excitement and investment.

Professional intimacy can create personal discomfort around boundaries.

The exchange about Dax cheering for on-screen kissing highlights how acting requires intimate scenes that can feel complicated or funny when viewed through real-life relationship lenses.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

Just this, like, super buried nostalgia of Veronica Mars and Seth Cohen hooking up.

— Kristen Bell

Okay, so your, your chemistry with your boyfriend on that show is, uh-

— Adam Grant

Electric

— Kristen Bell

He's like, "I want you guys to kiss so bad."

— Kristen Bell

But anyone that watched those shows, you always wanted a crossover. You know what I mean?

— Kristen Bell

On-screen chemistry and audience perceptionChemistry reads and casting decisionsBuilding rapport with collaboratorsNobody Wants This romantic dynamicDax Shepard’s reaction to on-screen kissingNostalgia as a storytelling/chemistry amplifierVeronica Mars and Seth Cohen crossover fantasy

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