‘Bless This Mess’: He Said/She Said With Dax Shepard & Lake Bell
Q&A
Mike and Rio (Dax Shepard and Lake Bell) — married city slickers who take on a money pit of a farm in Nebraska — are often in the same befuddled boat on ABC’s new fish-out-of-water sitcom, Bless This Mess.
But Shepard and Bell (a co-creator with New Girl exec producer Elizabeth Meriwether) are nothing like their clueless characters.
Read on for a little he said, she said with the on-screen couple.
How did you two meet?
Dax Shepard: In line for a bathroom at a mutual friend’s house.
Lake Bell: Dax claims we met in a bathroom, which sounds very illicit. However, I cannot for the life of me remember which bathroom and why.
What was your first impression?
Shepard: Mysterious.
Bell: We were drop-off parents at preschool. I was impressed with his ability to pull off fashion overalls in a masculine way.
(ABC/John Fleenor)
Which one of you is handier with a power tool?
Shepard: With much humility, me.
Bell: I’m gonna give this to Dax.
More small-town?
Shepard: Oh, me. Milford, Michigan. Ten thousand [people] on a full day.
Bell: I hail from Manhattan and have the neuroses to prove it.
If you were DIY renovating your own home, which room would you want your costar to work on?
Shepard: I have been to Lake’s home and I’d say, “Go crazy. Soup to nuts.”
Bell: I would have Dax helm the carpentry.
Since you are both executive producers, who is good cop and who is bad cop?
Shepard: Lake is the tone police, and I’m the shooting-speed police. If police said, “Faster.”
Bell: There are no cops on set.
(ABC/John Fleenor)
Which is more important: a strong foundation or a solid roof?
Shepard: Having recently paid for both, I’d say foundation.
Bell: Foundation all the way. A strong foundation can support a broken roof.
Bless This Mess, Series Premiere, Tuesday, April 16, 9:30/8:30c, ABC
