Last year, Kristen Bell hosted the SAG Awards. On Sunday, she’ll host the Actor Awards. They’re the same thing. The Screen Actors Guild wanted to change the name of the ceremony to give those outside of Hollywood a clearer sense of what they are. “It’s going to change it toes to tits,” Bell jokes of the new name. “It’s going to be a completely different show and I’m excited to bring that energy.”
Bell, who will be hosting for the third time this year, promises nothing else about the evening will change. “I have a shocking and hilarious lack of control in this job. What I do have complete control over is the hosting bits and the way that I’m presenting myself as a welcoming host,” she says. Bell addressed the rebrand in a recent promo for the show, which showed her calling every single SAG member to let them know about the change. “But I will say for the record, I was not required or personally responsible for calling anyone and telling them,” she clarifies in our interview.
Before the show airs on Netflix this Sunday, Bell spoke with ELLE about being a veteran host, the name she suggested for the ceremony, and why she hopes she doesn’t win an Actor Award while she’s on the job.
Why was the name changed from the SAG Awards to the Actor Awards?
The renaming provides the audience with a more specific entry point to what this experience is. It’s very clear from Hollywood’s point of view what the SAG Awards are, but I don’t know what the name of a union in another state for another business is. So, of course, SAG is not the broadest title to attract people.
What does the change signify?
I think that by changing the name of the show, we’re embracing a modern identity that reflects the growth of the show’s audience. From SAG’s perspective, and with Netflix being involved, the goal has always been to expand the audience globally. The name change makes it easier for folks domestically and around the world to just clearly understand what it is.
What sets it apart is that it’s a system where awards for actors are voted on by other actors. It’s the equivalent of your high school yearbook. My pitch was, “Let’s call it, Most Likely To.” Everyone’s going to get that. They said, “No, that’s not clear enough.”
Was your promo video based on any real conversations that you were having?
Amongst me and my producing partner, yes. Like, “Oh, when we do the SAG awards…” “Sorry, it’s Actor Awards now. We’ve got to remember that.” More than anything, that idea was born because wouldn’t it be hilarious if… A lot of good jokes come out if you ask yourself that question. What if it really was my job to call each and every member? And then what does that look like? The bit kind of wrote itself.
Bell during the 2025 awards, wearing a Giorgio Armani Privé dress.
What have you learned each time you’ve hosted?
It’s the same demographic I’m trying to make giggle [each year]. That is my sole objective there. I’m trying to make a room of my peers, some of whom I can barely call peers because I admire them so much, giggle. My objective is the same, but sometimes the temperature of the world changes. Certainly, last year, with the fires having affected people, the perspective of what we wrote and what goes into it changed because we’re trying to be mindful, respectful, and conscientious of the world around us. But the through-line of what I’m bringing to the table is truly just a love of having the opportunity to entertain people that I love and respect for an hour, get their attention for an hour, and do a little vaudeville act.
How do you get ready in the run-up to the event?
I have a small team, which is my producing partner, Ana Ayala, and my writer, Monica Padman. The three of us work together the month beforehand, pitching ideas, going back and forth to see if SAG likes those ideas, and getting their input. “Would it be funny if Kristen did this? Would it be funny if we could do a bit about this? We’ve got ping-pong in the mix this year [with Marty Supreme], so what could we do with that?”
The thinking pot [period] lasts for quite some time. Then the reality of prepping is hopefully within a week of the show. Everyone on the team has decided, “Yeah, this is a great version of entertainment. These are the best jokes we’ve edited. Everyone’s happy.” The crew will rehearse on the week leading up, building the stage. I rehearse the run of the show on Friday during the day. I don’t work on Saturdays because I like to be with my children. Previously they have said, “We’ll do a run-through the day before.” And I said, “I would love to do that, but you’re going to have to have a stand-in. I would be happy to be available all day Friday when they’re at school.” And they were like, “We get it.”
We rehearse all day Friday, walk through the beats. Practically, that looks like making sure I can walk in my heels. If I’m changing, I’m making sure I can change quickly enough, getting to the points where the bits happen. I like to be interactive and playful and incorporate people. I did a bit with Jason Segel in 2025, and it was at a bar at the far end of the auditorium. The assistant director team really had to make sure all the traveling would work and that we could fit this into a live show.
Saturday, I completely decompress and don’t think about anything. Sunday morning, I also decompress and don’t think about anything. And around 11 A.M., I leave my house. The rest of the day is just a mad dash scramble to put on a live show.
Bell on the red carpet at the 2025 ceremony.
Last year, you were nominated for an Actor Award in addition to hosting. Is it weird to be a host and a nominee, either logistically or in your head?
Not really, to be honest. In years that I have been nominated, I feel like my sole objective was to make sure everybody had a good time. The host is not just the person with the microphone. The host is required to ground your emotional experience with this hour of television.
At home, that would look like having the dinner ready, having nice place mats, maybe asking people to take their shoes off at the door. In a TV hosting world, it looks like meeting people where they are or understanding the temperature of the city, the world, the business, trying to provide some fun glitz and glamour visuals, which means getting awesome dresses or having something fancy involved. And then being interactive and welcoming.
In years that I was nominated as well, I don’t even think about it. I suppose my stomach bottoms out right when I hear that award is up during a quick change backstage because I think, “Oh, good God. I don’t want them to call my name because I’m on hyperdrive right now. I’m on a different wavelength right now. Give it to someone else. Godspeed, just let me clap because I don’t want to make a speech.”
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
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