Zooey Deschanel, who got her big breakthrough with Jon Favreau’s Elf, revealed that she had originally lost the role to 1990s icon Katie Holmes. With Holmes initially taking on the role, Deschanel did not stand much of a chance. However, the Dawson’s Creek star later dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. This ultimately led to Deschanel playing Jovie, a role that launched her career to new heights.
Zooey Deschanel initially lost Elf to Katie Holmes
In a recent podcast appearance on Call Her Daddy, Zooey Deschanel revealed that her breakthrough role came with a bit of luck. She rose to prominence after starring as the cynical department store employee Jovie in Will Ferrell’s Elf.
However, the role did not initially go to Deschanel. Instead, Katie Holmes was slated to play the part. “When I met with Jon Favreau, the director, I walked in, and he was like, ‘Oh, you don’t need to read. We just offered it to Katie Holmes,’” she recalled. “And I was like, ‘Oh, OK, cool.’ And he’s like, ‘Well, sit down and talk for a minute.’ I was like, ‘OK!’”
She continued, “What was great about that was, I wasn’t nervous. When you’re an actor and you’re first starting out, and you’re auditioning, you get nervous and you’re psyching yourself up. I wasn’t nervous at all, because I was like, ‘Well, I’m not getting the part.’ It was kind of great because I was not nervous.”
Things eventually worked out in Deschanel’s favor, as Holmes had to drop out of the movie due to scheduling conflicts. As soon as that happened, Deschanel returned to contention. “And then they were like, ‘Who should we have?’” she recalled. “I think the character was kind of meant to be worked around whoever played her, and they knew I sang because I had a cabaret act, so that kind of worked out with the character.”
Deschanel ultimately landed the role and went on to play the iconic character, becoming a household name in the years that followed. She continues to remain active in the industry as of now.
Originally reported by Sourav Chakraborty on ComingSoon.
