Zooey Deschanel Shares Her Thoughts on Losing the Role in Elf to Katie Holmes: “It Was Kind of Great”
Zooey Deschanel, known for her breakout role in the 2003 film Elf, recently disclosed that she initially lost the part of the cynical department store employee, Jovie, to Katie Holmes. Deschanel’s revelation came during her appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast.
Deschanel recounted her meeting with director Jon Favreau, where he informed her that the role had already been offered to Holmes but was now open due to “some scheduling conflict.” “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,’” Deschanel recalled. “And I was like, ‘Oh, OK, cool.’ And he’s like, ‘Well, sit down and talk for a minute.’ I was like, ‘OK!’”
Reflecting on the experience, Deschanel noted, “What was great about that was, I wasn’t nervous.” She explained that new actors often feel anxious when auditioning, but her belief that she wouldn’t get the role surprisingly made her more comfortable. “It was kind of great cause I was not nervous,” she said.
Will Ferrell and Zooey Deschanel in ‘Elf‘ (2003) (New Line/Courtesy Everett Collection)
After Holmes ultimately withdrew from the role, Deschanel found herself back in the running. “And then they were like, ‘Who should we have?’” she said. “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.”
Holmes’ departure marked a pivotal moment in her career, coinciding with the conclusion of her six-season stint on Dawson’s Creek in 2003, during which she also appeared in the film Pieces of April and the ensemble cast of the lesser-known musical crime comedy The Singing Detective.
