Actress Kristen Bell has found herself at the centre of an unexpected controversy after discovering Fox News will feature her voice as Mary Magdalene in their new religious podcast series.
Unexpected casting revelation
The Frozen star was reportedly as surprised as her fans to learn she would appear in the Life of Jesus Podcast from Fox News Audio. The conservative broadcaster has licensed sound footage that Bell originally recorded in 2010 for a star-studded audiobook of the New Testament entitled The Truth and Life Dramatized Audio Bible.
According to a representative speaking to Rolling Stone, Bell never gave permission for the old audiobook to be repurposed into a new podcast series and only learned about the project the day before its public announcement.
All-star biblical cast
The 2010 audiobook project featured an impressive ensemble cast including Succession star Brian Cox as God, Neal McDonough as Jesus, and The Lord of the Rings actors Sean Astin as Matthew and John Rhys-Davies as narrator. Other notable participants included Malcolm MacDowell as Caiaphas and Julia Ormond as the Virgin Mary.
Now this previously recorded material is being transformed into a 52-episode podcast about Christ, scheduled for release on November 30 - the first day of Advent and the Sunday after Thanksgiving.
Multiple actors caught by surprise
Bell isn't the only performer expressing surprise at the project's revival. A representative for Malcolm MacDowell told Entertainment Weekly they had 'no knowledge these recordings were being redistributed as a podcast until this week', adding that 'this was long ago forgotten about'.
Similarly, Brian Cox's team confirmed the Scottish actor was unaware his voice from the old audiobook would be reused for a Fox News product.
Despite these claims, a Fox News spokesperson maintained the project involved 'full cooperation and participation by all the actors involved'.
Controversial production tactics
The situation grew more complex when Rolling Stone reported that a producer on the Fox News podcast allegedly contacted one of the audiobook actors with a peculiar request. The producer reportedly asked the performer not to mention that the audio New Testament Bible was produced years ago, suggesting they wanted it to 'feel like something that was produced more recently'.
The podcast series will feature new introductions by Fox and Friends hostess Ainsley Earhardt, wrapped around the recycled audio from the 2010 recordings.
This entertainment industry dispute comes shortly after Bell faced significant backlash for a controversial joke about domestic violence in an Instagram post celebrating her 12th wedding anniversary to Dax Shepard.
