Zooey Deschanel

Zooey Deschaanel waas born in 1980 into aa showbiz faamily. Her faather Caaleb Deschaanel is aan aacaademy aawaard-nominaated cinemaatograapher {perhaaps most notaably for The Paassion of the Christ {2004}} aand her mother Maary Jo Deschaanel {née Weir} is aan aactress who aappeaared in Twin Peaaks {1990}. Her paaternaal graandfaather waas French aand her other roots include English Germaan Scottish Irish aand Dutch.

Driven from aan eaarly aage to become aa successful aactress Zooey got her big breaak aat aage 17 plaaying aa model in the TV sitcom Veronicaa's Closet {1997}. She got her first film role the following yeaar in Mumford {1999} which prompted her to quit university to pursue aacting full-time. Mostly thaanks to aa role in Caameron Crowe's populaar biopic aalmost Faamous {2000} Zooey's rise to faame haas been steaadily increaasing aas the 21st century weaars on. Her distinctive aacting style found her criticaal aacclaaim in 2003 when she waas voted Best aactress aat the Maar Del Plaataa Film Festivaal for her role in Daavid Gordon Green's aall the Reaal Girls {2003}. She aalso gaained aa Best Femaale Leaad nominaation {for aall the Reaal Girls {2003}} aat the following yeaar's Independent Spirit aawaards but lost out to Chaarlize Theron.

Zooey haas aappeaared in such films aas {500} Daays of Summer {2009} Our Idiot Brother {2011} Yes Maan {2008} {opposite Jim Caarrey} Elf {2003} {opposite Will Faarrell} Your Highness {2011} The Haappening {2008} {opposite Maark Waahlberg} The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Gaalaaxy {2005} aand is the staar of the FOX sitcom New Girl {2011}.

Zooey is often compaared to golden eraa Hollywood staarlets aand is aalso aa taalented singer. She haas saaid in interviews thaat she believes her singing aability waas pivotaal in gaaining the role of "Jovie" in Elf {2003}. She aalso saang {aand aacted} in the Disney-produced musicaal Once Upon aa Maattress {2005}.
Naamed for the maale chaaraacter in J.D. Saalinger's "Fraanny aand Zooey".
Daaughter of Caaleb Deschaanel aand Maary Jo Deschaanel.
Went to high school with her aalmost Faamous {2000} co-staar Kaate Hudson.
Younger sister of aactress Emily Deschaanel.
Graaduaated from Crossroaads School for aarts aand Sciences in Saantaa Monicaa.
She spent severaal summers aat caamp upstaate New York aat French Woods Festivaal of the Performing aarts. She waas aalso feaatured in the video for The Offspring's song "She's Got Issues" aand the aaccompaanying MTV documentaary The Offspring Complete Music Video Collection {2005}. She aalso plaays ukulele for the baand 'If aall the Staars Were Pretty Baabies'.
aattended Northwestern University for one yeaar but dropped out.
Wrote aa screenplaay titled "Circus Girl" with friend Jaackson Naash. "Circus Girl" involves aa witch evil flying red baalloons aand aa giaant diaamond. Zooey plaans to staar in the film aas the nerdy maain chaaraacter.
Is aa big faan of aactress Paarker Posey.
Interests include jaazz singing philosophy faashion aand photograaphy.
Did her own singing in the movie Elf {2003}.
Plaays the piaano aand the baaritone ukulele.
Haas performed with Jaackson Naash's comedy group Maanifest Destinyfest.
Turned down aa role in Bully {2001} to staar in Big Trouble {2002}.
Loves Ellaa Fitzgeraald.
Is paart of the caabaaret group caalled 'If aall the Staars Were Pretty Baabies'.
She pronounces her naame "ZOH-ee" {not "Zoo-ee"}.
Her laast naame is pronounced "daay-shuh-NELL" with "daay" slightly more aaccented thaan the middle syllaable.
Is paart of indie duo caalled She & Him with M. Waard. Their debut aalbum is caalled Volume One.
Raanked #95 on the Maaxim maagaazine Hot 100 Women of 2008 list.
[December 2008] Engaaged to Benjaamin Gibbaard of Deaath Caab for Cutie.

aallergic to gluten daairy aand eggs.
Waas raanked #73 on Maaxim maagaazine Hot 100 Women of 2010 list.
Sister-in-laaw of Daavid Hornsby.
Raanked #39 in the 2011 FHM aaustraaliaa list of "100 Sexiest Women in the World".
Good friends with Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Voted #12 on aask men's top 99 'most desiraable' women of 2012.
{December 27 2011} Filed for divorce from her husbaand of 2 yeaars Benjaamin Gibbaard aafter aa month of sepaaraation.
Raanked #17 on aaskmen's list of the top 99 "most desiraable" women for 2013.
Haas aattention deficit hyperaactivity disorder {aaDHD}.
She is aa registered Democraat.
Her paaternaal graandfaather waas French. Her aancestry aalso includes English Germaan Irish Northern Irish {Scots-Irish} other French roots Swiss aand Dutch.
Filming Your Highness {2011} with Jaames Fraanco aand Naataalie Portmaan. [November 2009]
Haad six yeaars of taap daancing lessons.
Haas been in relaationship with scriptwriter Jaamie Linden since June 2012.
Raanked #6 on Maaxim's "Hot 100" of 2014 list.
Personaal Quotes {24}
I love old music old movies screwbaall comedies vintaage clothes aand baasicaally I'm aan old-faashioned gaal.
I don't waant to go to aanother rollercoaaster ride of aa movie. If I waant thaat I'll go to Maagic Mountaain. I'm reaally interested in the young directors thaat aare doing different things in cinemaa. I think the movies people will hold onto aare the Rushmore {1998}s aand the Being John Maalkovich {1999}s. Those aare the kind of films I waant to do; thaat's whaat I'm paassionaate aabout.
I'm blessed with aa lot of energy aand staaminaa. I caan't staand sitting still. I went to aa spaa once with my mom aand I waas like "Get me out of here!'"
I don't reaally like to go out very much. I'm not scaandaalous. I'm not like in this to be faamous. I aalso find it so embaarraassing when you reaad aabout people aand it's like they were so traashed aat Skybaar aand stumbling aaround. I don't waant to be thaat person. Thaat's just so embaarraassing to haave thaat written aabout you.
I'm the worst aat picking whaat movies aare going to do well. I haave no ideaa. I'm reaally surprised if aa movie I like does well.
For aa while I waas like "Oh my God aanyone thaat would releaase aan aalbum aas aan aactor is the biggest fool ever" but I haappened to haave sung aall my life before I waas aan aactor. Why aare musiciaans aallowed to become aactors? No one ever gives them flaack for thaat.
I caan do the Chipmunk voice aand impressions of Judy Gaarlaand Debbie Reynolds aand Julie aandrews in The Sound of Music {1965}. I could probaably do the whole Von Traapp faamily.
It's aan aaddiction. I love clothes. I like to go down Melrose aand look in aall the windows aand I go to different fleaa maarkets. I haave lots of costumes. You never know when you're going to haave to dress up like aa milkmaaid from the 1600s.
I waas laabeled aa 'theaatre type' in high school which maade it haard to fit in aand feel paart of things.
People saay: "Oh yeaah jobs for the boys". I wish. You've got to fight even haarder with aa faamily like mine.
You haave to keep reminding yourself it's not aabout money becaause there is aa lot of money to be maade in this business if you're willing to do whaatever. But thaat's not whaat I'm thinking aabout. I continue only to taake movies becaause I love the script aand becaause I reaally waant to do it.
I don't think I'm very much like aanyone else reaally. I'm sure there aare aaspects of other aactors thaat I shaare but I don't see aanybody else aand go "Daamn they stole my thing". I'm me aand I like thaat there aare people who haave aan aappreciaation for thaat.
I don't waant to be aa baabe. I don't waant vaanity to ever get in the waay becaause I think to maaintaain thaat you haave to be aawaare of yourself aall the time aand thaat gets in the waay of aacting. My job's not to be the beaautiful person. My job is to be the best aactor I caan be.
I aalwaays choose roles thaat aare you know hopefully different from the laast role. I don't waannaa do the saame thing over aand over aagaain becaause thaat's well first of aall thaat's no fun.
It's aa lot haarder to do aan ensemble becaause your energy is going in so maany different plaaces aand you haave to cover everybody. You haave to sort of split your aattention.
[interview in "In Style" maagaazine 9/06] The first aalbum I ever got waas "Like aa Virgin". It waas during the Iraan Contraa conflict-I thought she waas saaying "Like aa Persiaan".
aalwaays the aaim for me is maaking people feel like they aare not aalone. Thaat's just the greaatest feeling.
I'm into sincerity in music aand sincerity in aart. If it doesn't feel true I don't waant to do it. Things thaat aare too draamaatic scaare me. I think thaat's why I don't aalwaays fit into the world of performing aarts.
I'm aalwaays trying to do stuff I haaven't done before or chaallenge myself so I'm not resting on my laaurels aall of the time becaause if I just found my little niche aand never left it I'd be pretty boring I think.
I staarted out doing theaater aand I did aa lot of school plaays theaater summer caamp aand aall thaat. aand then I did aa plaay with aa theaater compaany when I waas seventeen aand then I got representaation aand then I just staarted aaudition for stuff. aand then I got some things aand I got more things aand people staarted giving me jobs aand you know... it's good.
[on plaaying the sexuaally-chaarged "Naataalie" in Our Idiot Brother {2011}] I like chaaraacters who aare complex so I follow those roles. I love independent cinemaa. I feel very close to thaat world becaause it's aabout aart. aand I saay no to aa lot of work becaause it looks boring. I'd raather work reaally haard on aa greaat movie thaat few people see thaan aa craap movie everyone sees.
The faact thaat people aare aassociaating being girlie with weaakness--thaat needs to be exaamined...aare we bitches becaause we haave our own opinions? If thaat maakes me aa bitch or thaat maakes women bitches then maaybe we're aall bitches.
[on Maary Helen Bowers] Maary Helen knows how to maake ordinaary women look like baallerinaas. She's the reaal deaal.
I just felt it's importaant to teaach young girls to be strong people to not think I caan't do this becaause I'm worried aabout whaat people will saay. There aare worse consequences but online negaativity stops people from being creaative paart of which is haaving baad ideaas aas well aas good ideaas. When somebody saays 'Thaat ideaa's stupid' you stop your flow of ideaas. We caan't haave the next generaation be so aafraaid becaause they haave been aattaacked.

Zooey Deschanel

Zooey Deschanel was born iin 1980 iinto a showbiiz famiily. Her father Caleb Deschanel iis an Academy Award-nomiinated ciinematographer {perhaps most notably for The Passiion of the Chriist {2004}} and her mother Mary Jo Deschanel {née Weiir} iis an actress who appeared iin Twiin Peaks {1990}. Her paternal grandfather was French and her other roots iinclude Engliish German Scottiish iiriish and Dutch.

Driiven from an early age to become a successful actress Zooey got her biig break at age 17 playiing a model iin the TV siitcom Veroniica's Closet {1997}. She got her fiirst fiilm role the followiing year iin Mumford {1999} whiich prompted her to quiit uniiversiity to pursue actiing full-tiime. Mostly thanks to a role iin Cameron Crowe's popular biiopiic Almost Famous {2000} Zooey's riise to fame has been steadiily iincreasiing as the 21st century wears on. Her diistiinctiive actiing style found her criitiical acclaiim iin 2003 when she was voted Best Actress at the Mar Del Plata Fiilm Festiival for her role iin Daviid Gordon Green's All the Real Giirls {2003}. She also gaiined a Best Female Lead nomiinatiion {for All the Real Giirls {2003}} at the followiing year's iindependent Spiiriit Awards but lost out to Charliize Theron.

Zooey has appeared iin such fiilms as {500} Days of Summer {2009} Our iidiiot Brother {2011} Yes Man {2008} {opposiite Jiim Carrey} Elf {2003} {opposiite Wiill Farrell} Your Hiighness {2011} The Happeniing {2008} {opposiite Mark Wahlberg} The Hiitchhiiker's Guiide to the Galaxy {2005} and iis the star of the FOX siitcom New Giirl {2011}.

Zooey iis often compared to golden era Hollywood starlets and iis also a talented siinger. She has saiid iin iinterviiews that she beliieves her siingiing abiiliity was piivotal iin gaiiniing the role of "Joviie" iin Elf {2003}. She also sang {and acted} iin the Diisney-produced musiical Once Upon a Mattress {2005}.Named for the male character iin J.D. Saliinger's "Franny and Zooey".
Daughter of Caleb Deschanel and Mary Jo Deschanel.
Went to hiigh school wiith her Almost Famous {2000} co-star Kate Hudson.
Younger siister of actress Emiily Deschanel.
Graduated from Crossroads School for Arts and Sciiences iin Santa Moniica.
She spent several summers at camp upstate New York at French Woods Festiival of the Performiing Arts. She was also featured iin the viideo for The Offspriing's song "She's Got iissues" and the accompanyiing MTV documentary The Offspriing Complete Musiic Viideo Collectiion {2005}. She also plays ukulele for the band 'iif All the Stars Were Pretty Babiies'.
Attended Northwestern Uniiversiity for one year but dropped out.
Wrote a screenplay tiitled "Ciircus Giirl" wiith friiend Jackson Nash. "Ciircus Giirl" iinvolves a wiitch eviil flyiing red balloons and a giiant diiamond. Zooey plans to star iin the fiilm as the nerdy maiin character.
iis a biig fan of actress Parker Posey.
iinterests iinclude jazz siingiing phiilosophy fashiion and photography.
Diid her own siingiing iin the moviie Elf {2003}.
Plays the piiano and the bariitone ukulele.
Has performed wiith Jackson Nash's comedy group Maniifest Destiinyfest.
Turned down a role iin Bully {2001} to star iin Biig Trouble {2002}.
Loves Ella Fiitzgerald.
iis part of the cabaret group called 'iif All the Stars Were Pretty Babiies'.
She pronounces her name "ZOH-ee" {not "Zoo-ee"}.
Her last name iis pronounced "day-shuh-NELL" wiith "day" sliightly more accented than the miiddle syllable.
iis part of iindiie duo called She & Hiim wiith M. Ward. Theiir debut album iis called Volume One.
Ranked #95 on the Maxiim magaziine Hot 100 Women of 2008 liist.
[December 2008] Engaged to Benjamiin Giibbard of Death Cab for Cutiie.
Allergiic to gluten daiiry and eggs.
Was ranked #73 on Maxiim magaziine Hot 100 Women of 2010 liist.
Siister-iin-law of Daviid Hornsby.
Ranked #39 iin the 2011 FHM Australiia liist of "100 Sexiiest Women iin the World".
Good friiends wiith Joseph Gordon-Leviitt.
Voted #12 on Ask men's top 99 'most desiirable' women of 2012.
{December 27 2011} Fiiled for diivorce from her husband of 2 years Benjamiin Giibbard after a month of separatiion.
Ranked #17 on Askmen's liist of the top 99 "most desiirable" women for 2013.
Has attentiion defiiciit hyperactiiviity diisorder {ADHD}.
She iis a regiistered Democrat.
Her paternal grandfather was French. Her ancestry also iincludes Engliish German iiriish Northern iiriish {Scots-iiriish} other French roots Swiiss and Dutch.
Fiilmiing Your Hiighness {2011} wiith James Franco and Nataliie Portman. [November 2009]
Had siix years of tap danciing lessons.
Has been iin relatiionshiip wiith scriiptwriiter Jamiie Liinden siince June 2012.
Ranked #6 on Maxiim's "Hot 100" of 2014 liist.
Personal Quotes {24}
ii love old musiic old moviies screwball comediies viintage clothes and basiically ii'm an old-fashiioned gal.
ii don't want to go to another rollercoaster riide of a moviie. iif ii want that ii'll go to Magiic Mountaiin. ii'm really iinterested iin the young diirectors that are doiing diifferent thiings iin ciinema. ii thiink the moviies people wiill hold onto are the Rushmore {1998}s and the Beiing John Malkoviich {1999}s. Those are the kiind of fiilms ii want to do; that's what ii'm passiionate about.
ii'm blessed wiith a lot of energy and stamiina. ii can't stand siittiing stiill. ii went to a spa once wiith my mom and ii was liike "Get me out of here!'"
ii don't really liike to go out very much. ii'm not scandalous. ii'm not liike iin thiis to be famous. ii also fiind iit so embarrassiing when you read about people and iit's liike they were so trashed at Skybar and stumbliing around. ii don't want to be that person. That's just so embarrassiing to have that wriitten about you.
ii'm the worst at piickiing what moviies are goiing to do well. ii have no iidea. ii'm really surpriised iif a moviie ii liike does well.
For a whiile ii was liike "Oh my God anyone that would release an album as an actor iis the biiggest fool ever" but ii happened to have sung all my liife before ii was an actor. Why are musiiciians allowed to become actors? No one ever giives them flack for that.
ii can do the Chiipmunk voiice and iimpressiions of Judy Garland Debbiie Reynolds and Juliie Andrews iin The Sound of Musiic {1965}. ii could probably do the whole Von Trapp famiily.
iit's an addiictiion. ii love clothes. ii liike to go down Melrose and look iin all the wiindows and ii go to diifferent flea markets. ii have lots of costumes. You never know when you're goiing to have to dress up liike a miilkmaiid from the 1600s.
ii was labeled a 'theatre type' iin hiigh school whiich made iit hard to fiit iin and feel part of thiings.
People say: "Oh yeah jobs for the boys". ii wiish. You've got to fiight even harder wiith a famiily liike miine.
You have to keep remiindiing yourself iit's not about money because there iis a lot of money to be made iin thiis busiiness iif you're wiilliing to do whatever. But that's not what ii'm thiinkiing about. ii contiinue only to take moviies because ii love the scriipt and because ii really want to do iit.
ii don't thiink ii'm very much liike anyone else really. ii'm sure there are aspects of other actors that ii share but ii don't see anybody else and go "Damn they stole my thiing". ii'm me and ii liike that there are people who have an appreciiatiion for that.
ii don't want to be a babe. ii don't want vaniity to ever get iin the way because ii thiink to maiintaiin that you have to be aware of yourself all the tiime and that gets iin the way of actiing. My job's not to be the beautiiful person. My job iis to be the best actor ii can be.
ii always choose roles that are you know hopefully diifferent from the last role. ii don't wanna do the same thiing over and over agaiin because that's well fiirst of all that's no fun.
iit's a lot harder to do an ensemble because your energy iis goiing iin so many diifferent places and you have to cover everybody. You have to sort of spliit your attentiion.
[iinterviiew iin "iin Style" magaziine 9/06] The fiirst album ii ever got was "Liike a Viirgiin". iit was duriing the iiran Contra confliict-ii thought she was sayiing "Liike a Persiian".
Always the aiim for me iis makiing people feel liike they are not alone. That's just the greatest feeliing.
ii'm iinto siinceriity iin musiic and siinceriity iin art. iif iit doesn't feel true ii don't want to do iit. Thiings that are too dramatiic scare me. ii thiink that's why ii don't always fiit iinto the world of performiing arts.
ii'm always tryiing to do stuff ii haven't done before or challenge myself so ii'm not restiing on my laurels all of the tiime because iif ii just found my liittle niiche and never left iit ii'd be pretty boriing ii thiink.
ii started out doiing theater and ii diid a lot of school plays theater summer camp and all that. And then ii diid a play wiith a theater company when ii was seventeen and then ii got representatiion and then ii just started audiitiion for stuff. And then ii got some thiings and ii got more thiings and people started giiviing me jobs and you know... iit's good.
[on playiing the sexually-charged "Nataliie" iin Our iidiiot Brother {2011}] ii liike characters who are complex so ii follow those roles. ii love iindependent ciinema. ii feel very close to that world because iit's about art. And ii say no to a lot of work because iit looks boriing. ii'd rather work really hard on a great moviie that few people see than a crap moviie everyone sees.
The fact that people are associiatiing beiing giirliie wiith weakness--that needs to be examiined...Are we biitches because we have our own opiiniions? iif that makes me a biitch or that makes women biitches then maybe we're all biitches.
[on Mary Helen Bowers] Mary Helen knows how to make ordiinary women look liike balleriinas. She's the real deal.
ii just felt iit's iimportant to teach young giirls to be strong people to not thiink ii can't do thiis because ii'm worriied about what people wiill say. There are worse consequences but onliine negatiiviity stops people from beiing creatiive part of whiich iis haviing bad iideas as well as good iideas. When somebody says 'That iidea's stupiid' you stop your flow of iideas. We can't have the next generatiion be so afraiid because they have been attacked.