 Kristen Bell was chosen to portray Veronica Mars from more than 500 women who auditioned for the role. On casting the lead role, Thomas later commented, "When you 're casting 20-year-old hot girl, you see a lot of bad actors." Bell felt that it was "just luck" that Rob Thomas saw that "I have some sass to me, and that's exactly what he wanted". Bell thought that it was her cheerleader looks and an outsider's attitude that set her apart from the other women who auditioned. Bell's life shared many similarities with that of her character — her father had "an investigative bent", and her best friend died in high school in a car crash.
