Zooey Deschanel Originally Lost ‘Elf’ Role Because ‘We Just Offered It to Katie Holmes’

Zooey Deschanel revealed during an interview on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast that she was offered the female lead in Jon Favreau’s 2003 Christmas movie classic “Elf” only after Katie Holmes dropped out of the film due to scheduling conflicts (via The Daily Beast). Deschanel was only 21 years old when she auditioned for the movie, although she revealed Favreau told her they didn’t need to run any lines together because “we just offered it to Katie Holmes.”

“And I was like, ‘Oh, Ok, cool,’” Deschanel remembered, adding that she proceeded to “audition” for the movie just by staying in the room and chatting with the director as if they were just meeting up to talk.

“What was great about that was like, I wasn’t nervous,” Deschanel said. “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.”

When Holmes dropped out, Deschanel left a good enough of an impression on Favreau that she was next in line to be offered the part. She starred in “Elf” as Jovie, a department story worker who becomes the love interest for Will Ferrell’s Buddy. Deschanel said the role “was kind of meant to be like worked around whoever played her,” so the screenwriting team wrote in scenes where Jovie sings in the shower since Deschanel was a singer.

“Elf” earned over $220 million at the worldwide box office at the time of its release and remains a Christmas classic. Ferrell plays Buddy, a human raised by Santa’s elves. He travels to New York City to meet his biological father, played by James Caan. Ferrell previously revealed that he once turned down a $29 million offer to star in an “Elf” sequel.

“I would have had to promote the movie from an honest place, which would’ve been, like, ‘Oh no, it’s not good. I just couldn’t turn down that much money,’” Ferrell said about the simple decision to reject “Elf 2.” “And I thought, ‘Can I actually say those words? I don’t think I can, so I guess I can’t do the movie.’”

Watch Deschanel’s full interview on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast in the video below.