Dax Shepard initially passed on 'Parenthood' for Kristen Bell

March 26 (UPI) -- Parenthood star Dax Shepard says he initially passed on the NBC series.

The 44-year-old actor said on Monday's episode of his Armchair Expert podcast he originally turned down the role of Crosby Braverman to be with his then-girlfriend, Kristen Bell.

"I got offered Parenthood," Shepard recounted. "I hadn't acted in a long time, no one was offering me anything and they said, 'This show shoots in Philadelphia.' And I said, 'There's no way I can be in this relationship and move to Philadelphia.'"

"I turned that show down, which, by the way, is certainly the first time in my life that I had ever done that," he said. "I couldn't believe I was doing it."

Shepard said he "very much wanted" to be on the show, in part because he was attracted to the idea of having a "weird, separate life in Philadelphia" where he was anonymous. He accepted the part after Parenthood moved filming to Los Angeles.

"What's so ironic is you make a decision like that, and then weirdly, you're rewarded," the star said.

Parenthood co-starred Peter Krause, Lauren Graham, Monica Potter and Erika Christensen, and had a six-season run from 2010 to 2015. Shepard and Bell married in October 2013 and are parents to two daughters, 5-year-old Lincoln and 4-year-old Delta.

Shepard and Bell recently discussed their sex life and the secrets to their lasting relationship in the April 1 issue of People.

"I wouldn't say we need spicing up. We haven't had to turn to leather accoutrements or anything," Shepard told the magazine.

"We stimulate each other a lot with debates, and the great thing is we disagree on 99.9 percent of topics on the planet. There's always spice to be had," Bell said.