Colleen E. Hayes
It's hard to describe Kristen Bell's new Netflix series "The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window" in only a few words — just consider the title. But one thing is for sure: Parts of the thriller-comedy spoof are as disturbing as they are funny.
Bell plays an alcoholic woman named Anna grieving the loss of her daughter and the destruction of her marriage when she begins to suspect her neighbor Neil's girlfriend has been killed. By the final episode, it's revealed that Neil's young daughter, Emma (Samsara Leela Yett), is responsible for murdering Neil's girlfriend, her own mother, and Neil himself.
Ultimately, Anna must fight for her life in a physical battle against the young girl armed with a knife (and a gun). It's the perfect ending for a satire.
Colleen E. Hayes/Netflix
Speaking to Insider in a joint interview with costars Tom Riley and Michael Ealy, Bell opened up about what was going through her mind while filming the climactic scene with Yett.
"Practically, my main thought about those scenes is the safety of my scene partner," she said.
Bell said she cares "very much about" Yett and was concerned with protecting her while shooting scenes that Bell said Yett may or may not "fully comprehend."
Physical safety was important, but Bell was also looking out for Yett "emotionally." Bell said she was focused on "checking in" with Yett, recalling that she'd periodically ask her young costar "Is this fun? Is this okay?"
"Because a lot of it was kind of dark," Bell added.
But the "Good Place" star said Yett came prepared for the work. "She is so game and so intelligent beyond her years, that I didn't find I had to do a ton because she ended up getting it all," Bell told Insider of Yett.
Colleen E. Hayes
"The Woman in the House" is a smart parody of a very specific thriller subgenre, but difficult topics like grief are layered underneath the humor. Bell told Insider that because "no one handles grief the same way" she had many paths she could go down with Anna.
"I chose middle-of-the-road sadness. But I also know — as someone who has certainly experienced grief, and suffers from anxiety and depression — there's a lot of comedy underneath these hard emotions," Bell said.
She continued: "Usually, when you get to the root of it, I can laugh at myself if I've been in a dark place. I was hoping to play a woman who was in a dark place, and I guess hope that the audience was laughing a little bit."
"It's a very fine line to walk," Bell admitted.
"The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window" is available to stream now on Netflix.
