8 Actors Who SAVED Their Careers By Turning Down TV Roles
7. Zooey Deschanel Preferred The Idea Of Long-Term New Girl Over The Office
Brilliant showings in the likes Elf, Yes Man, and 500 Days of Summer had helped establish Zooey Deschanel as one to potentially watch going forward in the mid-2000's. But it was a proposed role on the American version of The Office that proved to be the catalyst behind the star taking on her most notable and acclaimed role to date.
As Deschanel herself would admit during the first episode of the Welcome to Our Show New Girl rewatch podcast earlier this year, the actor was all set to pop up in the smash-hit mockumentary before said New Girl script suddenly dropped on her desk.
And if it wasn't for The Office arc she was set to execute opening her mind to the idea of a TV venture, she "wouldn't have even been open to reading a TV script" in the first place.
So, after sensing there was more fun to be had in exploring a character for longer than a few guest appearances or even a two-hour feature, the eventual Jessica Day actor decided to gamble on being one of the first stars to really "crossover" between TV and film at the time with this New Girl venture.
And said risk paying off ultimately paved the way for the star once again becoming the name on everyone's lips after the big-screen debacle that was Your Highness.