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Zooey Deschanel Says ‘Elf’ Role Was Offered to Huge Star First

“I wasn’t nervous at all, because I was like, ‘Well, I’m not getting the part,’” Deschanel explained about her audition.

Zooey Deschanel revealed that she wasn’t the first pick to play Jovie in the beloved Christmas movie Elf—the film’s outwardly cynical, but secretly sweet love interest. The New Girl star explained on the Call Her Daddy podcast that when she went to audition for the role at just 21 years old, director Jon Favreau told her not to read any lines as the part had already gone to a well-known actor. “We just offered it to Katie Holmes,” Deschanel recalled Favreau explaining. “And I was like, ‘Oh, OK, cool.’” Instead, Favreau—known for directing hits like Iron Man, The Lion King, and Chef—asked her just to have a conversation about the film with him. “What was great about that was like, I wasn’t nervous,” Deschanel explained. “It’s like when you’re an actor, you’re like first starting, and you’re auditioning, you get nervous, and you’re like psyching yourself up. I wasn’t nervous at all, because I was like, ‘Well, I’m not getting the part.” Holmes, known for Dawson’s Creek, Batman Begins and Wonder Boys, allegedly turned down the role due to a scheduling conflict, prompting casting to look at Deschanel again. The (500) Days of Summer star added that she thinks Jovie “was kind of meant to be like worked around whoever played her.” Since Deschanel can sing, the scene where Will Ferrell’s character hears her singing in the shower and joins in was worked into the script.