Jake Johnson Said Zooey Deschanel Gave ‘New Girl’ ‘A Fighting Chance’
For seven seasons, New Girl provided fans with a quirky, charming set of characters revolving around Zooey Deschanel’s Jess. When Jess’ relationship falls apart, her whole life is upended. She lives with an unusual group of roommates: three single men.
One of Jess’ roommates was Nick, portrayed by Jake Johnson. In a 2022 interview, Johnson was gushing about his co-star’s performance, and how she helped make the show the success it became.
Jake Johnson praised Zooey Deschanel for launching ‘New Girl’
Welcome to Our Show is a New Girl-themed iHeart podcast hosted by real-life friends Zooey Deschanel, Hannah Simone (who played Cece), and Lamorne Morris (who played Winston). Recently, Jake Johnson appeared as a guest on the show, giving him a chance to catch up with his former castmates four years after the Emmy-nominated series wrapped up.
Johnson reflected on just how well the cast bounced off each other, going on at length about their “bits” and how the humor fed from person to person. When asked whether he realized what kind of chemistry was present on the set from the beginning, Johnson remembered auditioning for the series and finding out who he’d be working with.
“When I found out Zooey was the lead of it, I knew we had a fighting chance.” He added, “We had a true number one. We had a true shot” because of Deschanel’s involvement.
Deschanel almost skipped the part for a role on ‘The Office’
Johnson recognized Deschanel’s importance to the series, but it almost didn’t happen. When Deschanel was cast, she was considering a part on The Office simultaneously. Deschanel already had an established acting career before the start of New Girl in 2011, primarily on the big screen.
Her appearances in films like Almost Famous, New Guy, and Elf established her as a quirky character in charming comedy films. Bigger parts in Yes Man and 500 Days of Summer gave her serious acting credits. So she wasn’t particularly interested in being tied down to the leading role in a TV series. A smaller part on The Office seemed like a better fit for her goals.
Luckily for fans, Deschanel changed her mind. Taking on the part of the Diane Keaton-inspired Jess helped shape Deschanel’s career path in surprising ways. Her New Girl rewatch podcast is just one testament to the staying power of her time as Jess.
Johnson and Deschanel enjoyed working together
Clearly, Deschanel has stayed close to her castmates from the series. While Johnson has gone on to more television work — including roles in Stumptown, Hoops, and Minx — both actors remember their time together on New Girl fondly.
As The List reports, Deschanel and Johnson have admitted their obvious on-set chemistry. Fans were rooting for the fictional Jess and Nick to get together, but they had to wait a long time. Deschanel said that writers wanted to play it out over time to develop the series, leaving fans sometimes frustrated but ultimately satisfied with the relationship.
Deschanel doesn’t limit the chemistry on set to Johnson, however. “I think we all had good chemistry together from the get-go, in different ways,” she explains. The crew’s continued friendships and working relationships point to the truth behind that claim.
