Actress Leslie Bibb, whose recent credits include roles in films such as Iron Man 2, Confessions of a Shopaholic, and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, recently took a few minutes to answer some questions from Life Insurance Selling about her latest role as the 2010 spokesperson for Life Insurance Awareness Month (LIAM). Leslie was just three when her dad died in a work-related accident at age 39. Leslie's mother was faced with having to raise four girls on her own. Her mother continued to work, but her financial situation was greatly eased by the proceeds from her husband's life insurance. Visit www.lifehappens.org to see Bibb's realLIFEstories video and access agent resources to support LIAM.
Life Insurance Selling: You certainly have a good story about how life insurance helped your family, but what made you decide to go above and beyond by being the spokesperson for Life Insurance Awareness Month?
Leslie Bibb: Honestly, I'm a very private person and wasn't sure I felt comfortable sharing something so personal. I asked my friends for their opinion and was kind of shocked when one of them -- one who I thought for sure would say, "Don't give that part of yourself away" -- thought it was an important message to get out there. She said, "They make you have car insurance, and we're told we should have health insurance, but no one talks about the necessity for life insurance." What she said really resonated with me.
LIS: When did you become aware of how your father's life insurance made such a difference for your family?
Bibb: I didn't even know that my father had life insurance until I called my mom to talk about this opportunity with LIAM. And when she said, "We would have been sunk if it weren't for your father's life insurance," I was shocked. I had no idea. We had a very candid talk about her experience and she was so supportive of me becoming the spokesperson. I really feel like this is her story. After the conversation we had, I knew that I wanted to talk about the positive side of having life insurance and that I wanted to celebrate my parents. They really did do their very best -- both in life and death. I find that inspiring.
LIS: If you were talking to a young couple with children who didn't have life insurance, what would you say to them?
Bibb: Expect the unexpected. The love we show while we are alive is why we live, but the love we show after we are gone allows others to continue living. Buying life insurance really is a selfless act to make sure that our families are provided for once we are gone.
LIS: How does it feel to know that thousands of people may buy life insurance because your message motivated them to take action?
Bibb: It was funny -- a few weeks ago I got an e-mail from a makeup artist that I have worked with on some films, and she was congratulating me on being the spokesperson for the LIFE Foundation. She said she thought it was an important message to get out there. Again, I didn't expect that person to have that response, but it confirmed that I had made the right decision to share my story. I doubt people will buy life insurance just because I said so, but maybe it will remind them to follow through on something that has been on their to-do list for awhile.
LIS: What other types of causes are you involved with?
Bibb: I volunteer with an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico, called Friends of El Faro. They provide a safe, loving environment for children who've never had that. Just recently, I volunteered with the Alzheimer's Association. My great-grandmother had Alzheimer's, and I watched how difficult it was on my mother and thought it was important to help in any way I could. I also volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and Project Angel Food in Los Angeles. Here is my whole concept with volunteering. It's not about making you feel better about yourself -- although that always seems to happen -- but rather this: If we all took these "baby steps," did these small, random acts of kindness and generosity, what would the collective footprint look like? It would be huge, and we would all end up being the change we want to see in the world.
LIS: Do you have any upcoming movie or television projects you can tell us about?
Bibb: There's a movie coming out next summer (July 2011) called Zookeeper that I did with Kevin James. I think it's going to be great. I'm also trying to get a movie sold that I helped produce and star in called Miss Nobody that I am insanely proud of. Please keep your fingers crossed. It would break my heart if this movie didn't make it to the big screen!
