Zooey Deschanel Reveals How the 'Elf' Script Was Tailored Specifically For Her
- - Zooey Deschanel Reveals How the 'Elf' Script Was Tailored Specifically For Her
Alex GurleyDecember 9, 2025 at 11:53 PM
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River Callaway/WWD via Getty Images
It's hard to imagine anyone other that Zooey Deschanel starring in Elf—and that's partially because her character Jovie was specifically tailored for her.
During an appearance on The Tonight Showon Monday (Dec. 8), the 45-year-old actress opened up about her role in the beloved movie and how director Jon Favreau allowed Deschanel to influence the character.
When host Jimmy Fallon complimented Deschanel's performance of "Baby It's Cold Outside" in the movie, she revealed that some of the musical aspects of the script were written just for her.
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"There was singing in the script but I remember Jon Favreau, who directed the film, told me he was gonna tailor the script to whomever played Jovie," Deschanel explained.
She continued, "The example he used, which I thought was kind of weird but...cool, was that [he said], 'If you were a good skateboarder, we'd make Jovie a skateboarder.' And I was like, 'I want to see that version!' But he was like, 'You're a good singer so we made it singing!'"
While Jovie didn't end up doing any skateboarding, Deschanel was clearly the perfect fit for the role in the movie, which is still just as beloved over two decades later.
Given it is the holiday season, Deschanel has been talking about Elf a lot lately and recently revealed how her children feel about the film. Deschanel admitted that her two children—Elsie, 10, and Charlie, 8—haven't been huge fans of the whole thing.
"They've seen part of it, but they weren't really that into watching it. I think [the movie] was a little weird," she told E! News before adding there was still hope because "a bunch of my daughter’s friends were talking about it. So now she wants to watch it with her friends.”
You can hear all that Zooey Deschanel had to say below.
This story was originally published by Parade on Dec 9, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
