A Change Of Pace




If you follow my blog at all you know I usually am cautioning my readers about a movie or an artist. And while there is a time a place for that,this post is a change of pace. I am going to feature someone who has it right. At least to some extent. And have to say she is one of my new favorites. The entertainer I will be blogging about is Zooey Deschanel.



Zooey is most famously known for her role in the Will Ferrell comedy, Elf. She plays the cynical yet sweet shop girl Jodie, the love interest of Ferrell's character, Buddy. Elf is one of my favorite Christmas movies (And that's saying a lot because I do not like most of them.)Disclaimer: Although Ms Deschanel chooses her projects better than most Hollywood actresses, I do not endorse some of the movies she has appeared in. I am really just going to feature the movies Elf and The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy as well as her musical career.

Here she is as "Trillian"in The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.



I admire Zooey for a couple of reasons. For one, when I have seen her in movies as a love interest, she isn't just the "love interest". Her characters tend to be slightly quirky and independent. As aforementioned, Ms Deschanel has been said to be rather picky with the projects she associates herself with, which is always a good idea in Hollywood. Zooey also maintains a musical career alongside her acting career, excelling in both. Her recent project has been with another artist named M. Ward and they have released an album titled "Volume One" under the band name "She & Him". Here is one of my favorite tracks for you to enjoy. It is called "This Is Not A Test".



In a Relevant magazine article, Zooey said this regarding her music "Music has been as much a part of my life as acting..." As the magazine states, "Volume One" was not some vanity project for her own career benefit. Zooey explains, "My goal was not to put out a record just to do it or because somebody said I could sing. My goal was: 'I have so many songs and this great person (M. Ward) wants to work with me and we'll see how it shapes up and if we like it, we'll put it out'."

In an era where actors and actresses often make albums on the side for mere financial gain or to boost their own ego, Zooey Deschanel is a change of pace. Her motive is creativity and the desire to do more than make money. She wants her work whether it be movies or music, to mean something.

In an age where every actor or actress seems to be involved in some scandal, Zooey stand outs as a person of restraint. Deschanel said "I think it's a matter of taste. I don't want to be in the tabloids so I don't do anything to get in them."

The article mentions that instead, Deschanel "puts her fame to good use" by being involved in efforts like The Innocence Project which helps gain DNA evidence to acquit those not guilty of the crimes they are charged with because they had been misidentified.

All in all, Zooey Deschanel is an artist not merely an actress. She puts her talent and time into things that mean something to her and lives much cleaner than the average Hollywood starlet. In fact, some have called her a throwback to the golden starlets. I give her a thumbs up.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I concur. I love Zooey D. (And her sister, too by the way. Who is Bones on "Bones" tv show). Although it's very gory, I loved "The Happening" and she did a great job in it. You're right, she picks her movies carefully and doesn't always play stereotypical characters. :)