Zooey Deschanel: Stopping Stage Fright in Its Tracks, and How She Turned a “Disorder” Into a Superpower

 
 

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Zooey Deschanel is an actor (New Girl, Elf, 500 Days of Summer) musician (She & Him), crafter, and entrepreneur (HelloGiggles, Lettuce Grow). She tells Guy how being diagnosed with ADHD as a child affected her life and career, how the "loneliness" of the actor's life led her to songwriting and her collaboration with M Ward, and how – right before landing her biggest role – she almost quit acting. Zooey also delivers some practical tips on how to turn fear into excitement, and makes the case that regularly pursuing new creative paths makes you better at everything else.

Links from the Show

01. Zooey's parents' filmographies

02. Zooey's first instrument: the Casio SK-1

03. Scene from Zooey's first-ever role on TV: Veronica's Closet

04. Zooey and Frances McDormand "Drugs & Promiscuous Sex" scene from Almost Famous

05. The Go-Getter (2007 film), how Zooey met M Ward

06. Let's Dance by M Ward

07. Vincent O'Brien by M Ward

08. Thieves by She & Him (Official Video), one of Zooey's favorites which she wrote in "12 minutes"

09. She & Him's "pandemic project," Melt Away: A Tribute to Brian Wilson

10. New Girl full episodes on Amazon

11. Saturday Night Live sketch - Bein' Quirky With Zooey Deschanel

12. Zooey's businesses

Listen to the Episode on:

Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Amazon Music
Wondery+

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Jim Parsons: From Dreaming to Doing By Trusting Your Talent and Saying 'Yes'

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Billy Eichner: Playing the Long Game and Breaking New Ground for LGBTQ Audiences