Zooey Deschanel Was Always Known As Hollywood's Quirky Girl But She "Just Wanted To Be Normal"
Zooey Deschanel's breakout role in "500 Days of Summer" is still one of her most well-known films. She received a slew of accolades for her performance, but her career wasn't exactly easy after that.
The 42-year-old actress has always been known as the indie darling of Hollywood, so much so that she was referred to as "simply adorkable" in the tagline for her hit show New Girl. But Zooey Deschanel hasn't always had it easy in the acting industry even though she is loved by many.
Zooey Deschanel Was Always Known As Hollywood's Quirky Girl but She "Just Wanted To Be Normal"
In an exclusive interview with Bustle, Deschanel opens up about her experience as an actress after her 500 Days of Summer fame. It may seem like Jessica Day was just an extension of who Deschanel naturally is, but she has admitted before that she doesn't always identify with the famous characters that she's known for.
“A lot of the girls that came to L.A to try their hand at acting were extremely confident, probably the prettiest girls in their school coming from the Midwest,” she said. “And when they were looking for a more awkward, oddball person [they thought of me].”
She quickly became known as the "unique or quirky" girl. "And I remember being like, ‘Why?’ It wasn’t like I was trying to be that way," she said. "I just wanted to be normal. Somehow this other thing was what was coming across, and I felt like that was frustrating.”
Although she received much praise and many accolades for her role in 500 Days of Summer, it wasn't easy to find work after that. It was hinted that she was being considered for a role in The Avengers, but Deschanel says she wasn't actually receiving many offers.
"That was a really tough time, actually. They kind of killed the indie movie around then for a while,” she shared. "I was like, ‘Maybe I won’t act anymore.’”
But Deschanel has found her stride. She's still making music with her band She & Him, and she says she's had the happiest three years of her life with HGTV star Jonathan Scott.
“It’s never been exactly my ambition to be a movie star,” she said. “I just like to do good things with good people."