Zooey Deschanel Talks ‘New Girl’ Reunion, Which Character She’d Reprise and Her Love for Zumba (Exclusive)
The ‘New Girl’ star shares why she’s excited for a reunion and how she keeps her fitness routine enjoyable!
Key Takeaways
- Zooey Deschanel talks about reuniting with her 'New Girl' co-stars in October.
- The actress shares which of her iconic roles she'd want to reprise in the future.
- Zooey Deschanel joined Zumba to help celebrate it's 25th anniversary.
Zooey Deschanel was once the quirky, glitter-obsessed Jessica Day in apartment 4D who loved to “rock a lot of polka dots” on New Girl. Now, the actress is ready to reunite with her co-stars from the beloved series at the Chrysalis Butterfly Ball.
The charity event, which “helps individuals navigate obstacles on their path to meaningful employment,” is where the cast will be honored with the Rising Phoenix Award. According to Mark Loranger, the president and CEO of Chrysalis, “New Girl built seven seasons around characters navigating through life changes and starting over.”
Deschanel starred on New Girl from 2011 until 2018 as Jessica Day, who moved into an apartment with three single guys: Nick (Jake Johnson), Schmidt (Max Greenfield) and Winston (Lamorne Morris) after a messy breakup. The four new roommates, plus Jess’ best friend, Cece (Hannah Simone), soon form an unlikely bond, becoming a dysfunctional family of thirty-somethings.
But while you wait for the cast reunion on October 10, Deschanel is helping Zumba celebrate its 25th anniversary by joining a class of 1,000 participants. Woman’s World had a chance to catch up with the actress and talk all about the upcoming reunion and her current Zumba obsession!
Woman’s World: A New Girl reunion was recently announced and although it’s not a reboot, what does it mean to reunite with the cast for this event?
Zooey Deschanel: I just love seeing my castmates. They were my family for seven years. I saw them more than my own family, so they really, truly are people I remain very close with. Every single one. I just did Jake’s [Johnson] podcast. I text Lamorne [Morris] and Max [Greenfield] and Hannah [Simone] on the regular.They’re all really good friends, so I truly can’t wait to see everybody. It’s been a long time since we’ve all been together, and I just miss them.
WW: Would you consider doing an actual reboot?
Zooey Deschanel: If all the circumstances were right. I mean, it hasn’t gone that far where it was actually a possibility, but I’m open to it for sure. The stars would have to align.
WW: You’ve been a part of so many iconic projects over the years—if you could reprise any of your roles, which would you want to bring back?
Zooey Deschanel: All of them would be fun because you get to sit in that world for a while, and then when you leave it behind, you kind of miss it. When we talk about my castmates from New Girl, I really loved being with them every day, and I love our banter. With 500 Days of Summer, Joseph Gordon Levitt and I, we’ve been friends for a really long time. We did another movie together before that, so we were very good friends and it was so much fun to make that film. I’d love to go back and do any of them.
WW: Why did you decide to be part of Zumba’s 25th anniversary celebration?
Zooey Deschanel: I have always loved dancing, and even when I was growing up, I didn’t really like sports or PE or anything. In high school, I actually took dancing for PE credit. I love music, I love the joy that you can get a good workout and also dance at the same time. I have taken many Zumba classes and when they asked me to come [to the celebration], I was so excited.
There are so many different ways to move your body and this is one of them. It’s just so joyous, and the energy in the room was incredible. Everyone looks like they’re having the best time.
WW: What was it like to join the class with over 1,000 people for the celebration?
Zooey Deschanel: Electric. Everyone’s wearing bright colors, and it felt like going to a party more than it felt like going to an exercise class. It felt like you were at a party with 1,000 friends.
WW: When did you first get involved with Zumba?
Zooey Deschanel: I’ve probably done Zumba classes for the past 15-20 years. You can do them anywhere and they have instructors that teach at almost every gym. I think it’s incredibly hard to build a habit if you don’t enjoy it yourself, because who wants to do something that feels like torture? You want to do something fun. [Zumba] is a real win-win.
WW: What first drew you to Zumba? Was it just a way to exercise or was it for your love of dancing and movement?
Zooey Deschanel: I love dancing and I love these people. They’re all just so happy. Who wouldn’t love to be in a room full of 1,000 incredibly happy people? It’s a very accepting community. It’s not judgmental fitness, but just come as you are, enjoy yourself, have fun, move your body and be happy.
You don’t have to know the choreography and the fun thing is you can put your own flair on it. You don’t have to do exactly what they’re doing. It’s not a serious dance class where everything needs to be perfect and your technique needs to be perfect.
WW: Do you have any other upcoming projects you want to talk about?
Zooey Deschanel: I have a tour coming up with my band, She & Him, in the U.S. We’re going to a bunch of cities in September, and then I have a film at the Toronto Film Festival called Trash Mountain with Caleb Hearon that I’m really, really excited about. So, yeah, lots of good stuff.
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