Zooey Deschanel loves “being cozy” and watching movies on Christmas, but her 2003 hit Elf is not one of them.
“I don’t watch myself in anything,” Deschanel, 44, exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting her partnership with Vera Bradley for its Winter/Holiday collection. “I feel like that might be narcissistic of me.”
The actress revealed she watched Elf “one at the premiere” and thought it was “really good,” but added, “I just don’t watch myself.” (Deschanel’s fiancé, Jonathan Scott, revealed in December 2023 via Instagram that Elf is his “fav,” especially when she sings.)
Elf became a holiday classic when it premiered in 2003, following the life of an oversized elf named Buddy (Will Ferrell), who travels from the North Pole to New York City to meet his biological father, Walter Hobbs (James Caan). While in the Big Apple, Buddy spreads Christmas cheer, falls in love with sales girl Jovie (Deschanel) and helps Santa (Ed Asner) save the day.
Although Deschanel doesn’t annually watch the movie, she told Us she has great memories of working with Ferrell, 57.
“I love him. He’s a great, great person. One of the best,” she gushed of her former costar. “Seriously, one of the nicest people ever. He’s done incredible things since then.”
Deschanel said she feels “lucky that I got to do that movie,” noting that she “respects” Ferrell’s choice to not make a sequel. (Ferrell told The Hollywood Reporter in October 2021 that he turned down a sequel because he didn’t like the script. He claimed he would’ve made $29 million, but couldn’t “promote the movie from an honest place.”)
“It was a long time ago, so I totally get it,” Deschanel added.
When it comes to her “favorite” holiday movie, Deschanel said she enjoys Meet Me in St. Louis. The New Girl alum, however, is an even bigger fan of the seasonal music.
“I love singing Christmas carols. That’s my favorite thing,” she shared, noting that in her house decorations go up “immediately post-Halloween.”
Deschanel added, “I love singing harmony, and I have a lot of friends who are really good singers and so I do really enjoy singing as a group and I love all the holiday food. And my favorite part is being with family, just getting to connect.”
Deschanel’s holiday spirit spreads throughout all aspects of her life, including her choice in handbags. The star recently partnered with Vera Bradley to help launch its Winter/Holiday collection, which features party-approved staples.
The brand’s Taber Dumpling Bag is one of Deschanel’s top picks for the season. “I think [it] is the cutest name because it’s got all these little folds and it opens up really easily. But it closes fully, which is nice,” she told Us. “It’s got these straps called friendship straps, so you can easily make them longer or shorter depending upon your needs.”
Deschanel suggested the Heritage Bear Crossbody for anyone wanting to make a statement. “This is a conversation starter,” she teased. “When you wear something like this, everyone comes up to you and wants to talk to you about your bag. If you want to go to a holiday party and have everybody love you immediately, you wear that.”
She added, “If you want everyone to come and talk to you, it’s a great icebreaker conversation starter and holds your things, which is great. It’s so cute.”
Check out Vera Bradley’s Winter/Holiday collection — including Deschanel’s top 12 items — online now.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
