Zooey Deschanel revealed that she turned down a guest arc on The Office after reading the pilot script for New Girl. The Office premiered in 2005 and was already a massive hit before New Girl made its debut in 2011. Up until then, Deschanel has primarily been known for movie roles, such as the holiday classic Elf starring Will Ferrell. The Office had been known to cast big-name stars in guest roles on the show, including Amy Adams, Conan O'Brien, Ray Romano, and more.
New Girl, which followed Deschanel's character Jessica Day navigating being newly single in her 30s, became a success in its own right, continuing for seven seasons before ending in 2018. In addition to Deschanel, the show starred Hannah Simone, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, Damon Wayans Jr, and Lamorne Morris. The series was popular enough to spawn a podcast called Welcome To Our Show, wherein Deschanel, Simone, and Morris rewatch episodes of New Girl and discuss their behind-the-scenes memories.
During a recent episode of Welcome To Our Show, Deschanel revealed that she was initially negotiating for a recurring role on The Office when the New Girl pilot script landed on her radar. The actor recalled that her jump from movies to TV wasn't immediate and that had she not already been negotiating for The Office role, she may have never even read the New Girl pilot.
"I was all set to do it [The Office]. We were kind of just negotiating, and then I got the script for New Girl, and honestly, if I hadn't thought in my mind that I was going to do this arc on The Office, I wouldn't have even been open to reading a TV script."
It's important to remember that there was a time when TV was considered the lesser sibling of film. That changed as prestige TV shows such as 30 Rock and The Office began casting movie stars in leading roles, such as Alec Baldwin and Steve Carell. Deschanel credits Carell's infamous Michael Scott character as inspiration for her to test the waters as a TV actor, noting she was it as a fun new adventure that she would possibly enjoy. After being a film actress for two decades, this was not the original path she had planned and was more of a spontaneous shift. So it makes sense that she considered a role on The Office as a solid place to begin her TV career.
Deschanel's admission that had she not already been open to considering TV roles, she would likely not have ever read the New Girl pilot is substantial. Considering her change of heart brought New Girl to life, and without Deschanel, the show may not have gotten off the ground. On the podcast, co-stars Simone and Morris also recalled how both of their lives would have been different if Deschanel chose to go with The Office versus New Girl. Morris was an on-air personality for BET, and Simone lived in several places and had several roles she took on, such as being a TV host, model, and a United Nations officer. Thankfully, Deschanel's The Office role never materialized, and instead, she pursued the development of New Girl, successfully launching a series that would last seven seasons.
Source: Welcome To Our Show