Contrary to rumors at the time, Kristen Bell didn’t turn down the role of Charlotte Lewis in ABC’s hit show “Lost” to be in “Heroes.” In fact, she never officially received an offer for “Lost” at all. The confusion originated from a 2007 TV Guide interview with Bell, in which it was implied that she turned down “Lost” in favor of “Heroes,” despite her saying that she was only considered for the role. She said, “I was in an extremely lucky position … How do you make the decision between [‘Lost’ and ‘Heroes’]? Basically, being able to stay in [Los Angeles] was a little bit of a factor for me [in terms of turning down ‘Lost’].”
What took the confusion even further was that TV Guide later ran an interview with Rebecca Mader (who ended up playing Charlotte in “Lost”) a year later, who claimed she was told by a friend that Bell was actually up for the part initially. She recalled, “It wasn’t until after I got the job that I heard those rumors. Friends of mine would say, ‘Kristen Bell was up for your part and turned it down.’ And I’m like, ‘Did she?'” Mader even thanked Bell in the interview for turning the role down.
Bell also gave an interview at a press conference (via SciFi World) in which she said that “the media might have gotten a little ahead of themselves.” Then she clarified, “I had been spoken to about possibly doing a role on ‘Lost,’ but I was not actually offered one.”
Even if Bell was offered the role of Charlotte in Lost, she would’ve probably stuck with Heroes
Although Bell emphasized how much she loved Damon Lindelof and J.J. Abrams’ “Lost” in several interviews, the “Veronica Mars” star explained why being cast in “Heroes” and playing Elle Bishop in Seasons 2 and 3 (which we considered one of her best TV roles) mattered to her a great deal. As she told TV Guide, “I have social relationships with a lot of the people who work on ‘Heroes’ through so many random connections … I was actually sitting on the train [back from San Diego] with Zachary Quinto and Masi Oka, and some of the writers were on the train, and they were like, ‘Hey, if you ever want to come on ‘Heroes,’ give us a call!’ And I sort of joked back, ‘I’d love that!'” Not long after, series creator Tim Kring came forward and offered her the part of Elle.
While Bell said that being on “Lost” would have been a wonderful opportunity to further her career, she likely would’ve made the same choice as she did back then. “I think that I have been such a fan of ‘Heroes’ from the very beginning that this would have been the dreamiest situation I could have possibly thought up for my next job,” she said. “So when Tim came forward, I sort of pounced on it.”
What do you think would’ve happened if “Lost” offered Bell a part for real, and she took the job? Would the writers have done more with Charlotte if she was played by a more famous actor? Take to the comments to discuss.