The Episode Of 'New Girl' That Defended Zooey Deschanel

2011 Summer TCA Tour - Day 10

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Every so often issues actors face in the real world follow them on screen. This is especially true for Zooey Dechanel’s character “Jess” who finds her entire personality being criticized by her roommate's new girlfriend in the season one episode of New Girl, “Jess and Julia.”

“It’s just the worst feeling in the world when someone hates you for who you are,” Deschanel told podcast co-hosts and former co-stars Hannah Simone and Lamorne Morris. “When this show came out, people were especially critical of me for the things that I like and the ways I express myself.”

The New Girl star recalled showrunner Liz Meriweather getting very frustrated with Deschanel’s treatment and used the episode to defend her. Simone remembered how the media really scrutinized everything Deschanel did when the show first aired.

“You were hyper-dissected,” Simone said. “People were dismissing the parts about you they didn’t believe, which is basically what happens in this episode.”

In the show, "Nick’s" girlfriend "Julia" is critical of everything about "Jess," from her bubbly attitude to wardrobe. Meanwhile in real life Deschanel was having to defend her fashion choices, like wearing bows in public.

“I think a lot of people related to it,” Deschanel said. “It is different for everyone, but that is my takeaway from this episode.”

Listen to the three New Girl stars breakdown “Jess and Julia” on their podcast Welcome to Our Show, on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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