Kristen Bell details near-death experience on the set of TV hit: ‘People start screaming’

Kristen Bell has shared harrowing details of her “near-death experience” while filming an ocean stunt for the new season of her TV hit Nobody Wants This.

Speaking on husband Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, Bell, 46, recalled heading into cold waves more than two metres tall to shoot the scene.

“I went out with, I think, nine or 10 crew members, and we had one-for-one stunts with us, which means every person has a stunt person bracing them,” she said.

“Just before [a wave is] about to crash, all the stunt people start screaming.”

Something had gone wrong but the quick-thinking crew managed to pull everyone to safety.

“I get hoisted out of the air by two stunt women who are helping me. Every crew member has a stunt person, like, pushing them into the sand,” Bell said.

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“Poor Aaron, our A camera operator, was getting pummeled by the waves. Both cameras were underwater.”

The worst part was moments later, when the director told Bell they hadn’t got the shot they wanted.

When told she’d have to get into the freezing water again, Bell – who had originally suggested they film in a water tank – refused to stay in any longer than absolutely necessary.

“Somebody’s going to be washed away,” she recalled saying at the time.

“When you watch the show, you’ll notice the only angle they use is the side angle because the front-on angle, it was horrific to watch.”

Bell and husband Shepard, 51, also revealed an unusual aspect of their marriage on the podcast in front of her baffled Nobody Wants This co-stars Adam Brody, Justine Lupe, and Timothy Simons.

According to the couple, Shepard flirts with Bell by complimenting other people in front of her – but it’s not quite what it sounds like.

“We’ll be at dinner and he’ll say to the waiter or waitress,‘Wow, you have incredible eyelashes, gorgeous eyes. Great, great job,’” she said.

“But that’s flirting with me because he just made someone else feel good.” 

It’s certainly not how most married couples keep the romance alive, but Bell and Shepard insist it works for them.

Last year, he landed in hot water for another unconventional approach to his marriage when Bell revealed what he once said to her in an anniversary post.

“Happy 12th wedding anniversary to the man who once said to me: ‘I would never kill you. A lot of men have killed their wives at a certain point. Even though I’m heavily incentivised to kill you, I never would,’” she wrote.

Some fans claimed it was just a joke, but others took issue with Shepard seemingly trivialising the very real issue of domestic violence.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).