Deschanel is also a co-founder of the female-focused website HelloGiggles, which was acquired by Time Inc. in 2015.[9]
Early life
Zooey Claire Deschanel was born in Los Angeles, California on January 17, 1980,[2] the younger daughter of cinematographer and director Caleb Deschanel and actress Mary Jo Deschanel (née Weir). Her paternal grandfather was French, from Oullins, Rhône, and her paternal grandmother came from a Quaker family; she also has Swiss, Dutch, English, Irish, and other French ancestry.[10][11] She was named after Zooey Glass, the protagonist of J. D. Salinger's 1961 novella Franny and Zooey.[12] Her older sister is actress Emily Deschanel, who starred in the Fox crime comedy-drama series Bones.[13][14]
Deschanel lived in Los Angeles, but spent much of her childhood traveling because her father shot films on location. She later said that she:[15]
... hated all the traveling... I'm really happy now that I had the experience, but at the time I was just so miserable to have to leave my friends in Los Angeles and go to places where they didn't have any food I liked or things I was used to.
That same year, she appeared in a non-singing role in the music video for The Offspring's single "She's Got Issues", which premiered on September 27, 1999.[18] Deschanel was a judge for the ninth Independent Music Awards.[19] In 2005, she modeled for Chanel and Clements Ribeiro, and in 2010, she signed to represent Rimmel.[20]
Deschanel co-starred in Cameron Crowe's semi-autobiographical Almost Famous (2000), where she played Anita Miller, the rebellious older sister of a teenage journalist. Despite a modest box office response, the film received critical praise,[21] winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Film – Musical or Comedy. Deschanel appeared in the independent drama Manic (2001), as the love interest of a troubled teen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). The film was screened at the Sundance Film Festival and received a limited theatrical release. The New York Times found Deschanel to be "particularly spontaneous, unaffected and emotionally direct" in her role.[22]
Following early notice, Deschanel took on supporting parts in four feature films released throughout 2002: Big Trouble, The New Guy, The Good Girl, and Abandon. In the comedy Big Trouble, with Tim Allen and Rene Russo, she played the daughter of a devoted and reluctant woman, and in the teen comedy The New Guy, starred as a guitar player in a band. Deschanel portrayed a cynical, plain-spoken young woman working in a big-box store in the black dramedy The Good Girl, opposite Jennifer Aniston and Jake Gyllenhaal. The psychological thriller Abandon saw her play the roommate of a woman involved in her boyfriend's disappearance. Deschanel also made a one-episode appearance in Frasier, as Roz's out-of-control Cousin, Jen. The New York Times reported that Deschanel was "one of Hollywood's most sought-after young stars",[12] in 2002, and the Los Angeles Times wrote in early 2003 that Deschanel had become a recognizable type, due to "her deadpan, sardonic and scene-stealing [film] performances" as the protagonist's best friend.[11] Deschanel objected to her typecasting, arguing, "A lot of these roles are just a formula idea of somebody's best friend, and it's like, I don't even have that many friends. In high school, I stayed home all the time, so I don't know how I'm everybody's best friend now."[11]
2003–2010: Breakthrough
Deschanel obtained her first leading film role debut in the independent drama All the Real Girls (2003) as Noel, a sexually curious 18-year-old virgin who has a life-changing romance with an aimless 22-year-old. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was an arthouse success. Her performance received wide critical acclaim,[11] and Variety remarked: "Performances are all credible and naturalistic, but standing out from the rest is Deschanel's work, which evinces an impressively direct connection to her character's emotions. The actress does a wonderful job presenting a young woman who is trying, with varying degrees of success, to give voice to all sorts of things she has never felt or expressed before".[23] She received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Actress.[24] Also in 2003, Deschanel starred opposite Will Ferrell in the Christmas comedy Elf as a deadpan department store worker and the love interest of a man raised by Santa's elves.[25] Reviewers found the film to be a "spirited, good-natured family comedy" as part of an overall positive critical response;[26] and, budgeted at US$33 million, Elf made US$220.4 million worldwide.[27]
In 2004, Deschanel starred in Eulogy, and in 2005 played Trillian in the film adaptation of Douglas Adams's science fiction novel The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. She acted in Winter Passing (2005), co-starring Will Ferrell. Deschanel next appeared in Failure to Launch (2006), as the neurotic roommate of Sarah Jessica Parker's character. She also had a recurring role in four episodes of the Showtime television series Weeds from 2006 to 2007 where she played Kat, Andy Botwin's ex-girlfriend. In September 2006, it was announced that Deschanel had signed on to play 1960s singer Janis Joplin in the film The Gospel According to Janis, to be co-written and directed by Penelope Spheeris.[28] The film was scheduled to begin shooting in 2006, but was then postponed indefinitely;[29] it was then resurrected again, with a planned release date of 2012, before being cancelled altogether in 2011. Deschanel expressed frustration with the cancellation, saying she had spent three years working on imitating Joplin's scratchy singing voice.[30]
In M. Night Shyamalan's thriller The Happening (2008), she starred opposite Mark Wahlberg as a couple trying to escape from an inexplicable natural disaster. Despite largely negative reviews, critic Roger Ebert felt that Wahlberg and Deschanel's performances "bring a quiet dignity to their characters",[34] and globally, the film made US$163 million.[35] She starred in the independent comedy Gigantic (2008), which screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and was distributed for a limited release in certain parts of the United States only. In the comedy Yes Man (also 2008), she played an unorthodox singer and the girlfriend of Jim Carrey's character.[36] The film grossed US$223.1 million around the world.[37]
Deschanel reunited with Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the independent romantic drama about the development and demise of a relationship (500) Days of Summer (2009).[38] The film garnered critical acclaim and became a "sleeper hit", earning over $60 million in worldwide returns, far exceeding its $7.5 million budget.[39][40][41] Mark Adams of the Daily Mirror found the film to be a "modern romance for grown-ups" and a "sweet-natured, funny, deeply-romantic tale" blessed with "top-notch performances by Deschanel and Gordon-Levitt, who are both charming and have real chemistry".[42] In December 2009, Deschanel guest-starred in a Christmas episode of the Fox crime procedural comedy-drama Bones, which was the first-ever on-screen pairing of the Deschanel sisters.[43][44]
Deschanel was originally the top choice for Janet van Dyne / The Wasp in an early draft of Joss Whedon's The Avengers in which she would have played a prominent role. However, once Scarlett Johansson was cast as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, Deschanel was no longer in consideration to portray the Wasp with Janet's daughter Hope van Dyne taking up the mantle in the Infinity Saga, played by Evangeline Lilly.[45]
Deschanel starred in the comedy Our Idiot Brother (2011) as the independent and bisexual sister of a dimwitted but idealistic man (Paul Rudd). The production was screened at the Sundance Film Festival, to a generally positive critical reception.[46] She played Belladonna in the stoner fantasy-comedy Your Highness (2011), with Danny McBride and James Franco.[47] The film received negative reviews and bombed at the box office.[48] Describing her role, Roger Ebert noted in its review for the film: "[Deschanel is] brought onstage, quickly kidnapped by an evil sorcerer, spends a good deal of time as a captive in his lair, is rescued and lives happily ever after. She might as well be a mannequin, for all she's given to say and do. This intelligent, nuanced actress, standing there baffled. Used as a placeholder".[49]
Deschanel signed on to star as a bubbly and offbeat teacher Jessica "Jess" Day on the Fox sitcom New Girl, created by Elizabeth Meriwether. She became a producer on the show and helped build the character,[50] which she has described as a part of her, especially in regards to "the sort of enthusiasm and optimism" of her youth.[51] The series premiered in September 2011, and USA Today described her performance as "a role tailored to launch her from respected indie actor to certified [television] star, Deschanel soars, combining well-honed skills with a natural charm".[52] She has received an Emmy Award nomination and three Golden Globe nominations for her role.[53][54] The series finale ran on May 15, 2018.[55]
In Rock the Kasbah (2015), she played a Los Angeles singer taken to Afghanistan by her former manager (Bill Murray). Despite a US$15 million budget, the comedy only made US$3 million at the North American box office.[58] She obtained the role of a mysterious woman in the neo-noir drama The Driftless Area (2015), screened at the Tribeca Film Festival and released on video on demand and home media.[59] She voiced a kind-hearted Bergen, Bridget, in the animated family comedy Trolls (2016), which grossed US$344 million worldwide.[60]
In January 2022, she began cohosting Welcome to Our Show, a New Girl rewatch podcast with co-stars Hannah Simone and Lamorne Morris, distributed by IHeartRadio.[63] Deschanel appears as Kelly in season 3 of Physical released on August 2, 2023[64] and Nancy in Dreamin' Wild, released on August 4, 2023. She would also appear as Terry in Harold and the Purple Crayon, which was released on August 2, 2024.[65]
In March 2007, Deschanel contributed vocals to two songs "Slowly" and "Ask Her to Dance" on the album Nighttiming by Jason Schwartzman's band Coconut Records. It was reported that Deschanel and M. Ward, who had previously performed with Deschanel on-stage, were recording music under the moniker She & Him.[67] Their first album, titled Volume One, was released by Merge Records on March 18, 2008.[68][69] It received a strong response from critics, with Paste magazine voting it the No. 1 Album of 2008. Patrick Caldwell of the Austin American Statesman wrote: "The album gently rambled through 13 tracks of sun-dappled pop, with a gentle Orbisonian charm and sweet, wistful vocals from Deschanel."[70]
Deschanel recorded "The Fabric of My Life" for a 2009 advertising campaign for Cotton Incorporated.[71] On March 23, 2010, the second She & Him album, Volume Two, was released.[72] Deschanel and M. Ward both featured on The Place We Ran From (2010), the album by Snow Patrol member Gary Lightbody's side project, Tired Pony. Deschanel contributed vocals to the tracks "Get on the Road" and "Point Me at Lost Islands", while M. Ward contributed vocals and guitar to the track "Held in the Arms of Your Words" and guitar to the track "That Silver Necklace".[73][third-party source needed]
During a May 2012 performance at the Ryman Auditorium, country music singer Loretta Lynn announced that she was in the development stages of creating a Broadway musical from her autobiography and Deschanel would play the title role., saying, "There's a little girl back stage that's going to do the play of 'Coal Miner's Daughter' on Broadway". She then brought Deschanel onstage and the two sang a duet of the title song.[79] On September 21, 2012, it was announced that Deschanel was producing the comedy Must Be Nice, written by New Girl consulting producer J. J. Philbin.[80]
She and Him's next album, Volume 3 was released by Merge Records in May 2013. In the 15-track album, Deschanel wrote eleven songs, while three others are cover songs.[81] It debuted at number 15 on the Billboard 200.[82] The band's fifth studio album, Classics, received a December 2014 release by Columbia Records, and it features 13 covers of classic songs, recorded live and accompanied by a 20-piece orchestra.[83] Response towards the album was positive, with Robert Hamm for Alternative Press writing that Deschanel "is a delight, at times coy and romantic, and in other moments, moody and pensive".[84] She also appeared as a guest vocalist on Brian Wilson's album No Pier Pressure (2015).[85] She & Him's second Christmas album and sixth album overall, Christmas Party, was released in 2016.[86]
In Yes Man (2008), Deschanel sings several songs featured in the film and on the film soundtrack, and is shown singing "Uh-Huh" and "Sweet Ballad" with San Franciscan all-girl electro soul-punk group Von Iva in a fictional band called "Munchausen by Proxy".[89] In 500 Days of Summer (2009), Deschanel sings a cover of The Smiths's "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want" and it appears on the soundtrack of the film, as performed by She & Him.[90] She also sings a cover of "Sugar Town" by Nancy Sinatra. Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt did a music video, called Bank Dance, directed by 500 Days of Summer director Marc Webb, to accompany the film. It uses the She & Him song "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?", and some complicated choreography, choreographed by Michael Rooney. Mason Novick, the film's producer said, "We made the short because Zooey came in and said, 'I have this idea ... because I didn't get to dance in the movie'" (as Gordon-Levitt did).[91]
Deschanel sings "The Greatest Most Beautiful Love Song in All the Land" with James Franco in the comedy Your Highness (2011). She also appears with M. Ward in a number of songs on the soundtrack album for Disney's animated version of Winnie the Pooh (2011), earning a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media nomination for "So Long".[92] Deschanel wrote and performed the theme song to New Girl.[93] Also, in season three's episode "Prince", the song "Fallinlove2nite" is sung by Deschanel and Prince.[94] In Rock the Kasbah (2015), she sang a cover of Meredith Brooks's "Bitch", which is featured in the soundtrack for the film.[95][96] In 2016, Deschanel voiced Bridget, the scullery maid in the animated film Trolls.
Other work
In May 2011, after the success of her HelloGiggles YouTube channel, Deschanel, along with producer Sophia Rossi and writer Molly McAleer, founded the website HelloGiggles.com, an entertainment website geared towards women.[97] HelloGiggles.com was acquired by Time, Inc. in 2015.[9]
In 2023, Deschanel hosted the Max informational show What Am I Eating?. It was based on a previous series Deschanel did for ATTN:, Your Food's Roots.[98]
Personal life
Deschanel is allergic to eggs, dairy products, and soy.[99] She had a gluten allergy, but stated in a 2022 interview on Armchair Expert that she no longer suffers from it.[100][time needed] She used to be a vegan,[101] which she gave up because she found it difficult to eat enough calories on a vegan diet due to her sensitivities to wheat and soy.[102] A year prior to giving up her vegan diet, she was featured on episode eight of season one of Bravo'sTop Chef Masters, in which the chefs participating in the competition were challenged to cater a vegan lunch party for her family and friends using no soy or gluten.[103] Deschanel is currently a pescetarian.[104]
Deschanel confirmed her engagement to film producer Jacob Pechenik in January 2015,[110] and they married in June 2015.[111] They have two children: a daughter born in July 2015, and a son born in May 2017.[112][113] Deschanel reportedly converted to Judaism before marrying Pechenik, who is Jewish.[114][115] On September 6, 2019, Deschanel and Pechenik announced their separation.[116] Deschanel and Pechenik divorced on June 1, 2020.[117][118]
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