Catherine Bell lends her voice to the character of Red on The Kellys.

Conversation: Catherine Bell

It seems a shame for someone with the looks of Catherine Bell to hide behind the image of a cartoon character, but it's a testament to her versatility as an actor.

Bell lends her voice to Red in the NASCAR.COM's weekly animated series The Kellys. She took a few moments to bring us up to speed about her connection to motorsports, and what's new in her life since J.A.G. was ordered to stand down.

Nine seasons as Maj. Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie on J.A.G., bravo zulu. That's a dream run for any actor. Are you taking a well-deserved break?

Bell: I am. I am... sort of. I'm with my family now enjoying some family time, which is fantastic.

We loved you on the big screen in Bruce Almighty. And by "we" I mean every red blooded guy in the world. In the future, are we more likely to see you in movie roles or back on TV?

Catherine Bell Credit: Gilles Toucas

Bell: I'm thinking a little bit of both. Definitely features. I have a mini-series coming up on the Sci-Fi Channel on Nov. 5 called The Triangle. And then, I've also been working on creating my own sitcom. I'm meeting with some people to get back on TV in a comedy capacity.

According to your website, you're quite the jock: an accomplished wakeboarder, snowboarder, kick-boxer, plus you ride motorcycles. Your agent must love that.

Bell: Yah, Paramount was never too happy about all that stuff either when I was on J.A.G., but I'm very safe. I don't do anything too crazy. I always wear the right gear and take the right precautions and have a good time with it.

What's the appeal of these flirt-with-danger sports?

Bell: I don't know. I've been a tomboy since I was a kid. I rode skateboards, and dirt bikes. My cousin had a dirt bike when I was seventeen and I went, "Ooooh, show me how to ride that!" I've always enjoyed challenging myself and if that meant, "Hey, let's go skydiving!" then that's what I did. I did that once and got it out of my system. I've been bungee jumping a few times. Got that out of my system. I enjoy having fun. And that includes horsepower, sometimes. You know?

Speaking of horsepower, what motorcycles do you own?

Bell: My husband and I have a collection that varies between four to eight or nine motorcycles at any given time. We have old ones and new ones. Old Italian scooters and brand new, shiny, super-fast Hondas. A little bit of everything.

You also have some racing experience in the Toyota celebrity/pro event during the 1999 and 2000 Long Beach Grands Prix. Looking back, which was it: more scary or more fun?

Bell: Both. It was definitely terrifying there on the starting line getting ready to go... and when you're all diving into the same turn at the same time. But man, what a thrill. I just loved it. Especially coming in third in 2000. The first year I did ok. It was like, "(scream of terror)." But the second year, it was, "OK, I got this. Let me at it!"

What kind of cars do you have in your garage at home?

Bell: I've been traveling so much lately that I'm a little light on the cars at the moment. But I still have a couple of fun ones. I have a Mercedes CLS 500. And I've got my fun, tricked out, racy car: a (Nissan) 350 Z Roadster which I took to Platinum Motorsports -- which I do with most of my cars -- and got it completely tricked out with 19-inch wheels, a stainless steel full cat-back exhaust, an air intake system, you know, stuff like that. The little things that most girls do to their cars, right?

What car do you currently have your eye on?

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Bell: You know, I used to own a Porsche 996 and I'm eyeing one of those again. That's going to be my next toy.

With each passing year, FHM ranks you higher and higher on their list of The 100 Sexiest Women in the World. It's our opinion that the editors at FHM ranked you too low early-on and they're scrambling to put you where the rest of the world has had you ranked all along. What do you think of your growing popularity?

Bell: It was super flattering, especially since I've had my baby. Hey, just being on that list is flattering and I try to take it all with a grain of salt. But it's all good.

So how did you come by your role as "Red" on The Kellys?

Bell: It started with a conversation I had with Nancy Cartwright (executive producer of The Kellys, and voice of Bart Simpson). We've been friends for a while and she mentioned the role and I said I always wanted to do that -- to be a cartoon voice -- and that's how it started.

On The Kellys, Red and Trish Kelly have something of an antagonistic relationship. I don't want to start anything here, but in a fight, who'd win: Trish or Red?

Bell: It's gotta be Red, come on. But it would definitely be close.

When spotting for Denny Kelly, Red shows pretty good insight into racing. Does Red have any racing ambitions?

Bell: I'm not sure. I hope she does. That would be great to see Red behind the wheel. I know I'd love it.

The Sporting News made lots of hay about your Super Bowl prediction back in 2003. Before the season even started, you correctly predicted that the Patriots would beat the Rams 20 to 17. What's up with that?

Bell: I said to my husband, "Honey? What do you think I should put down (on the survey)?" He randomly picked those teams and that score. I emailed them back to my publicist and forgot about it. Then, at the end of the season, it become somewhat legendary I guess. It was a total fluke.

So tell me, with four races still to be run in the Nextel Cup, Tony Stewart leads Jimmie Johnson by 15 championship points... who does your husband say is going to win it all?

Bell: He's not here right now, but I'll ask and get back with ya.

OK, in the last scene of J.A.G., you tossed a coin to determine whether Mac or Harm would resign their commission. Which was it?

Bell: Come on, Mac won. Mac has got to stay in the Marine Corps. What would she do if she wasn't a Marine? Yah, Harm comes down to San Diego, wears the apron, cooks and cleans, raises the kids for her. That's my version of it, anyway.