Call Her Daddy: Zooey Deschanel – Relationships, RomComs, & the Holiday Season

Host: Alex Cooper
Guest: Zooey Deschanel
Date: December 17, 2025

Episode Overview

Alex Cooper welcomes actress, singer, and New Girl icon Zooey Deschanel for a festive and in-depth conversation. The two delve into Zooey’s approach to the holidays, memories from filming Elf, her unique trajectory as a Hollywood creative, handling bullying and insecurities, the complexities of female identity in media, relationships, parenthood, and her excitement about her latest romcom. The tone is energetic, honest, and sprinkled with Alex’s signature humor.

1. Holiday Traditions & Festivities

Zooey's Love for Christmas

• Zooey is a huge fan of the holidays, describing herself and fiancé Jonathan Scott as “very festive.”
• She goes all out on house decorations, building on collections over the years and enlisting Knoxville’s Glitterville for unique décor.
  • Quote:

    “I love decorations. I want everything decorated, like, over the top.” (03:23, Zooey)

• Two main trees—one champagne-themed, one gingerbread. Their kids each get a playroom tree to decorate freely.

Timing the Tree

• Sometimes trees go up right after Halloween; this year, it was before Thanksgiving.
  • Quote:

    “You want as long with that tree as possible.” (06:13, Zooey)

Blending Traditions in Mixed-Faith Households

• Suggests Hanukkah-colored ornaments for Christmas trees as a fun, respectful compromise.

Hosting & Mishaps

• Loves hosting Christmas Eve. Memorable disaster: landscapers accidentally put fertilizer in the mulch before a party, so the house “smelled,” and Zooey tried to mask it with burning cinnamon sticks.
  • Quote:

    “I was just like putting like cinnamon sticks, like trying to burn them everywhere.” (07:07, Zooey)

2. Holiday Movies: Watching & Making Elf

Zooey’s Annual Pick

• Her offbeat favorite: Die Hard – “a great Christmas movie.” (07:34, Zooey)

The Elf Experience

• Kids are hesitant to watch her perform; daughter is finally ready at age 8.
• Zooey was 21 during filming; Katie Holmes was originally offered her role. Zooey landed the part after a relaxed meeting with Jon Favreau.
  • Quote:

    “[When you laugh out loud reading a script], you’re probably gonna laugh, like, even harder when you see someone doing it.” (10:16, Zooey)

• Her blonde look came from a previous, scrapped film role—producers insisted she keep it for Elf, which fried her hair.
  • Quote:

    “To dye your hair blonde, girl, that’s... the biggest undertaking ever.” (11:50, Zooey)

On Will Ferrell

• “He’s like, the nicest human being... super playful and fun and open.” (12:42)

Favorite Scene

• The department store sequence for its chaotic, farcical comedy. (13:27)

3. Growing Up Creative, Coming of Age, and Insecurities

Artsy Household

• Mom was a respected working actress, dad a renowned cinematographer with an artistic eye.
• Felt the pressure of “good taste” at home—sometimes hid her love for silly sitcoms.
  • Quote:

    “If I liked a movie that was kind of silly, I was like, don’t say anything because they have such good taste, you know.” (17:14, Zooey)

Seventh Grade Trauma

• Both Alex and Zooey share that seventh grade was awful, marked by bullying and feeling like outsiders.
• Zooey shares being bullied for her weight and having a growth/maturity spurt between grades.
  • Quote:

    “I was, like, kind of chubby and not that there’s anything wrong with that... would have been fine if I hadn’t been ridiculed for that.” (19:18, Zooey)

Motherhood Reflections

• Emphasizes not projecting insecurities onto her kids; wants them to see her as confident.
  • Quote:

    “They get their self-esteem from their parents... it’s important to me to show up with confidence.” (22:29, Zooey)

Navigating Hollywood’s Focus on Appearance

• Tries not to internalize criticism or attach identity to appearance.
  • Quote:

    "My identity was never super wrapped up in my appearance; it’s more about my style and creative expression." (24:51, Zooey)

4. Finding Her Path: Career, Auditions, and the Manic Pixie Dream Girl

Early Career & Auditions

• Started auditioning at 16—experienced many “disaster auditions” due to nerves and undiagnosed ADHD.
• Ultimately found strategies and support (her mom coached her).

Academic Struggles & Taking Risks

• ADHD made school challenging until Zooey found study techniques that worked for her; later thrived academically and attended Northwestern. Left college after landing a film role and never returned, with the full support of her creative parents.

Nontraditional Trajectories

• Values flexibility in life and career, is open to “doing things differently."

Breakout Roles

• Elf as the first "big" movie.
• 500 Days of Summer led to unexpected backlash—guys especially called her character the villain, despite Summer being clear about her intentions.
  • Quote:

    “She’s very clear with him from the beginning. What more do you want from her?” (35:24, Zooey)

Manic Pixie Dream Girl Discourse

• The trope started as a way to describe quirky, distinctive female characters but became a lazy, reductive term.
  • Quote:

    “It was a way to make this character that was meant to be highly... three dimensional... one dimensional.” (37:21, Zooey)

• Suggests the term says more about culture’s limitations than the women it describes.

5. New Girl, Identity, and Feminine Expression

Landing and Shaping Jess

• Loved the original pilot script ("Chicks and Dicks"). Showrunners adapted the character as they got to know Zooey—the show sometimes responded to real-world conversation.
  • Quote:

    "They start to get your rhythm... by the end of season one." (41:23, Zooey)

• Addresses criticism for feminineness and being “crafty”—episode “Jess and Julia” was a direct response to perceptions about how women “should” behave.

Feminism and Solidarity

• Both lament ongoing “girl on girl” negativity and call for more celebration of individuality.
  • Quote:

    “There’s not one way a woman should be.” (43:03, Zooey)

Fate of Jess & Nick

• Zooey preferred a “Graduate-style” ambiguous ending rather than showing final romantic resolution.
  • Quote:

    “I like leaving things a little unfinished… let the people argue.” (49:11, Zooey)

6. Motherhood in Hollywood, Balance, and Guilt

Being Pregnant On Set

• Hid both pregnancies on New Girl, carrying laundry baskets to conceal her bump.
• Would’ve preferred the pregnancy be written into the show.

Balancing Career & Kids

• Is very involved in her children’s lives when off-work; prioritizes being present for “the big things.”
  • Quote:

    “Kids, if they feel loved, that’s the most important thing.” (54:34, Zooey)

• Does creative projects with her kids, like making genre-inspired movies together.

7. Relationships, Divorce, and Blended Families

Meeting Jonathan Scott

• Met on Carpool Karaoke; Zooey was just out of a marriage. Instant connection, but a slow start due to her divorce process.
  • Memorable Moment:

    On their first date, Jonathan wanted to show off a property he was renovating, but Zooey expected a kiss. “He’s just a nerd who’s trying to show me a house.” (57:51, Zooey)

Best Qualities

• Jonathan: “He’s very kind and supportive and methodical.” (58:42, Zooey)
• Zooey: “I’m fun... and kind, and I have good taste in men.” (59:16, Zooey)

The Engagement

• Jonathan proposed at Edinburgh Castle, complete with secrecy, wardrobe coordination, and a surprise family meet-up in Paris.

Wedding Planning

• Both have been married before; feel pressure to make this one “the most fun” but are focused on finding meaning and joy rather than extravagance.

Healthy Co-Parenting & Blended Families

• Stresses respect and communication with her kids’ father, Jacob, and with Jonathan—all have a group chat.
• Recommends meeting each other’s partners before introducing to kids, keeping boundaries, and letting go of anger.
  • Quote:

    “The most important thing is that the kids are happy and thrive... respect just keeps generating.” (66:08, Zooey)

  • On Explaining Divorce to Kids:

    “We get along better if we’re in different houses.” (66:08, Zooey)

8. New RomCom & Animal Preference

New Movie Details

• Celebrates release of a new Amazon holiday romcom with Charlie Cox: about exes sharing custody of a depressed dog who they try to cheer up on a holiday vacation.
• Despite being known as a “cat person,” Zooey assures she loves both dogs and cats.
  • Quote:

    "Romcom and dog are front and center, holiday is… an accent color.” (73:31, Zooey)

Behind the Scenes

• Fun atmosphere, improvisation on set, and a dog motivated by sausages during filming.

9. Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Trends. Don’t follow them.” (26:40, Zooey)
• “Let the people argue.” (50:01, Zooey)
• “If people want to call me [manic pixie dream girl], cool. But in my opinion, I think it’s lazy to keep using it.” (38:42, Zooey)
• “There’s not one way a woman should be, you know...” (43:03, Zooey)
• “Kids, if they feel loved, like, that’s the most important thing.” (54:34, Zooey)
• “I don’t hate anyone I was with before… My kids thrive when they know we all care for each other.” (65:16, Zooey)

10. Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:23] – Deep dive into holiday décor and traditions
• [07:06] – Zooey’s hosting disaster story
• [08:36] – How Zooey landed her Elf role
• [13:27] – Favorite Elf scene to film
• [17:12] – Growing up with artsy parents and “good taste”
• [19:18] – Seventh grade bullying and coming of age
• [22:29] – Building confidence as a parent and not passing on insecurities
• [35:24] – Defending “Summer” in 500 Days of Summer
• [37:21] – On the “manic pixie dream girl” trope
• [41:36] – New Girl: how Zooey influenced Jess
• [49:11] – Ideal series ending (Jess & Nick)
• [54:34] – Coping with mom guilt and work-life balance
• [58:42] – Zooey describes Jonathan’s best qualities
• [66:08] – Advice for healthy blended families
• [71:44] – Discussion of new holiday romcom

Conclusion

This episode is a wellspring of holiday spirit, candid reflections, and empowering advice. Zooey Deschanel shares her journey through Hollywood, motherhood, personal growth, and love, all with humor and warmth. Listeners get a nuanced portrait of a multi-dimensional woman navigating fame, family, femininity, and creativity—with a few laughs (and dog treats) along the way.

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