Helen Hunt
Helen Hunt -- Dr. Jo Harding in “Twister” Reuters

Although one actress is much more accomplished than the other, Helen Hunt and Kristin Bell share similarities that have made fans flock to their work and want to know about their personal lives. Hunt, who at 49 is Bell's senior by almost twenty years, has proved that she can take on a variety of film roles and continue to stay relevant in Hollywood. It's something Bell is starting to prove she can do as well.

First, there's the obvious. If there's one thing Americans love, it's their celebrities. Both Bell and Hunt have taken roles that have made them likable and endearing to audiences for years. They've managed to stay out of the tabloids, and both sport blonde hair. In a very traditional sense, both Kristin Bell and Helen Hunt are flat-out hot. They have an elegance to them that starts with the blonde hair but is complemented by their eyes and onscreen personas.

Bell and Hunt's appeal goes much deeper than looks, though, and both actresses are being praised for their performances in upcoming films. MTV gave Bell a great review for her role in the action/comedy film "Hit and Run," in which she stars alongside real-life flame Dax Shepard.

"Shepard's chemistry with Bell carries the picture," MTV wrote. "The rest of the cast does fine."

Hunt, meanwhile, is generating Oscar buzz for her role in "The Sessions." After winning the and Oscar for her role in "As Good As It Gets," Hunt's most recent film has her playing a sex therapist who treats her patients by sleeping with them. Fans used to her dramatic roles will have to look no further than "The Sessions" to see that Hunt is hot. Like Bell -- who has mostly appeared in comedies -- Hunt also proved she can make audiences laugh with her role in "Mad About You," a sitcom that ran throught most of the 1990s.

TheMovieTimes.com provided a side-by-side comparison of the actress' work and results. After comparing the two, in terms of wealth, Hunt is in the lead by a significant margin, but it's important to remember that she's had a career twice as long as Bell's and has been helped greatly by the star power she's shared the screen with. Not many people would claim that appearing alongside Russell Brand in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" equates with appearing opposite Jack Nicholson in "As Good As It Gets."

One area Hunt certainly has an edge over Bell in is the number of dramatic roles Hunt has appeared in, even with the length of her career. By the time she was around the age Bell is now, Hunt had already had major roles in "Twister" and "Bob Roberts," while "Pay It Forward" and "Cast Away" were still ahead of her.

Still, the light-hearted performances in "What Women Want" and "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion" were along the lines of "Couples Retreat" and "When in Rome," two major vehicles for Bell. "Couples Retreat" grossed over $100 million domestically, according to Box Office Mojo.

What matters most to each actress's audience might be that the two continue to do what they do best. There are certainly differences in their specific career arcs but an overarching theme for both is their the consistency of their high-quality work. They know how to do what they do.