Kristen Bell's 'Near-Death' Horror on Netflix Set as Eight-Foot Waves Pummel Crew

Kristen Bell has said she and about 10 crew members were pulled from the path of eight-foot waves in what she described as a 'near-death' ordeal on the Los Angeles set of Netflix comedy Nobody Wants This.

The actress, 46, told how stunt performers lifted her out of the water as a large wave bore down on the group, while other stunt workers pushed crew into the sand to stop them being swept away. Netflix has not publicly commented on the incident, and Bell's account has not been independently verified.

Bell recounted the experience on Monday's episode of Armchair Expert, the podcast hosted by her husband, Dax Shepard. She appeared alongside co-stars Adam Brody, Justine Lupe and Timothy Simons.

Stunt Performers 'Screaming' as Netflix Wave Hit

Bell plays podcaster Joanne Williams opposite Brody's Rabbi Noah Roklov in the series, whose third season was released on Netflix last week. The beach scene required her character to wade into the sea and appear naked on camera.

She said she wore a scuba-style suit on her lower half to simulate nudity and was told to walk into the water up to her sternum. According to Bell, nine or 10 crew members followed, each paired with a stunt performer under a 'one-for-one' safety system.

The plan, she said, was for her to speak lines in Hebrew and repeatedly dunk herself under the surface until a wave broke over her. She said at least one camera operator was positioned so that eight-foot waves rose behind her.

Bell told listeners that as a large wave approached, the stunt performers began screaming. Two stuntwomen then lifted her out of the water, while other stunt workers pushed crew members into the sand to keep them anchored.

'Poor Aaron, our A camera operator, was getting pummelled by the waves. Both cameras were underwater,' Bell told the podcast. She described the water as 'so cold' and the scene as 'mayhem'.

Director Asked for Another Take After 'Near-Death' Scare

Bell said that when the group returned to the beach, soaked and shivering, the director told them they had not got the shot they needed.

She said she objected to going back in. 'I don't know that we can. We're not going to get anything better. Somebody's going to be washed away,' she recalled telling the team.

Bell did return to the sea, but first checked the footage to establish which Hebrew lines had been captured. She then planned what she called the shortest possible return. 'I'm going to go out for the least amount of time possible,' she said, adding that she focused only on the missing lines, expecting the scene to be stitched together in post-production.

Viewers will see only the side angle in the finished episode, she said, describing the frontal angle as 'horrific to watch'.

Kristen Bell Pushed for Tank Shoot as Netflix Scene Loomed

Bell said she had originally pushed to avoid the open sea and suggested filming in a water tank, where wave height and temperature can be controlled. She said Brody was concerned a tank would not capture the realism of the ocean and suggested a calmer location such as Paradise Cove in Malibu.

Production ultimately chose a regular beach location, she said. Despite the ordeal, Bell conceded the final footage is 'amazing', and her co-stars agreed it is among the season's standout visuals.

Nobody Wants This was created for Netflix and has proved a popular romantic comedy. The claims about wave height and safety arrangements are Bell's account alone, and the production's own safety assessments have not been made public.

During the same podcast episode, Bell and Shepard also discussed how they flirt after more than a decade of marriage. Bell said Shepard often compliments waiting staff in front of her, which she sees as a form of flirting between the couple.