Zooey Deschanel

Cast · Director

Born

January 17, 1980 · Los Angeles, California, USA

Birth name

Zooey Claire Deschanel

“When you act, you are completely at the mercy of someone else. They can edit the image and make your performance look entirely different (…) In the end, you never have control over what will appear on screen, and that’s terrifying.” Born in Los Angeles to a family of artists, with a father who was a director of photography and a mother who was an actress, Zooey Deschanel grew up surrounded by artistic influences. She attended Crossroads, a private school in Santa Monica focused on fostering students' artistic abilities, where she developed her musical skills with the goal of building a career in musical theater. She also participated in the French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts and began studying at Northwestern University, but dropped out after nine months to fully dedicate herself to her acting career. She started her career with small roles in TV shows before landing a part in Almost Famous, directed by Cameron Crowe. This opened the door to the U.S. independent film scene, where she gained increasing prominence, eventually becoming an icon, particularly for her roles in the TV series New Girl and the film 500 Days of Summer. Additionally, Zooey has contributed musically to several films in which she has appeared, as well as to projects with M. Ward under the name She & Him.