Why Zooey Deschanel Almost Never Returned To TV Show Acting Again

After Zooey Deschanel said goodbye to her “New Girl” cast members in 2018, she reevaluated her future in television. “I thought maybe I would just do movies, or movies and music,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “I needed to give myself the time to think about how much I could really take that on.” 

She’d definitely had a lot going on in her life since the show began in 2011. The actor welcomed two children, in 2015 and 2017 respectively, with her now ex-husband, Jacob Pechenik. Since 2006, she’s also been one-half of the musical duo She & Him with guitarist M. Ward. In 2022, they released their seventh studio album “Melt Away: A Tribute to Brian Wilson.” Although she may have taken a break from television, the actor still lent her voice to animated films like “Trolls World Tour.” She also appeared in Katy Perry’s 2020 music video for “Not the End of the World.” 

At first, music was a form of escapism for Deschanel. “I found being on [filming] locations very, very lonely. I always have,” she told Guy Raz on “The Great Creators” podcast, explaining the ins and outs of her acting career. “My outlet would be writing songs about loneliness.” For the “Almost Famous” star, it’s important to take a step back when the business gets overwhelming. “I think these larger breaks, too, where you’re maybe not doing things, you can come to that other pursuit with a new perspective.” In other words, creative pursuits feed into one another.