Kristen Bell

Actress Kristen Bell tells us how her job has expanded her horizons and inspired SHORTLISTS her love of travel. PHOTO ©JOE SCHMELZER/JBG/HEADPRESSPHOTO.COM

“I AM THE LUCKIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD because I get to travel with work. I know every actor says it, but the fact is I have had some amazing experiences because of it. For my latest movie, When In Rome, I visited the city for the very first time.

“It’s an adorable romantic comedy starring Josh Duhamel and Anjelica Huston, with a little bit of fantasy in it and a nice love story. Instead of the girl chasing the guy that you so often see, this time my character accidentally puts seven coins in her pocket from a fountain in Rome and through the movie is pursued by the seven suitors who had thrown them in looking for passion and love.

“I’m not very well travelled, so I was new to Rome and loved it. It was glorious. I was bursting with excitement and Rome was absolutely breathtaking. I gained about five to 10 pounds in the two weeks I was there because the food was so good.

“But when you see something like the Vatican or the Colosseum it really puts the whole world into perspective. You know, when you wake up in the morning and you think your life is so important but then it’s like, ‘Oh, wait a minute, people have been around forever. There are structures that were erected hundreds of years ago that I had nothing to do with.’

“I take my digital camera with me on trips because I always like to take pictures of anything I come into contact with. And I always take my notebook! I hear so many brilliant things throughout the day that I like to jot them down and think about them later. One of my friends said to me recently: ‘Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.’ I thought, hmm, I should apply that.

“The other places I love to travel to are theme parks. To get over heartbreak I’d go on a tour of them. Mindless entertainment. In the US I’d go to Disney World in Florida and Cedar Point, Ohio, near where I grew up. I love rollercoasters and that feeling when your stomach goes up into your mouth! It’s so exciting and inspiring – just like travelling. As I said, I am not that well travelled. I wish I was. But I’m working on it!”

INTERVIEW: ROBIN LYNCH & ROBERT HAYES

WHEN IN ROME IS IN EUROPEAN CINEMAS THIS JUNE.

FLY TO ROME (CIAMPINO) FROM 30 DESTINATIONS, INCLUDING GLASGOW (PRESTWICK), LONDON (STANSTED) AND MILAN (BERGAMO). VISIT WWW.RYANAIR.COM