Zooey Deschanel Denies That “Nepotism” Helped Her In Hollywood: “No One’s Getting Jobs Because Their Dad’s A DP”

Actress Zooey Deschanel has enjoyed a long career in television and film, with memorable roles in New Girl, Elf, and 500 Days of Summer. But the actress recently denied that she benefited from nepotism, despite the fact that she grew up with both her mother and father working in the industry.

“It’s funny because people will be like, ‘Oh, nepotism’, I’m like, no. My dad’s a DP [director of photography]. No one’s getting jobs because their dad’s a DP. It’s definitely not,” she said during a recent appearance on The School of Greatness podcast.

Her father is Caleb Deschanel, the Oscar-nominated cinematographer behind The Lion King, The Passion of the Christ, The Right Stuff, Never Look Away, and many others. He has also been credited on Titanic and The Godfather.

However, the actress credited her family with offering her much “creative help” throughout her career. Her mother, actress Mary Jo Deschanel, who starred in Twin Peaks, reportedly helped her run lines and served as her acting coach while she was growing up.

“My mom is an actor and my dad is a cinematographer and a director. I can’t possibly emphasize enough how much creative help I had from my family unit,” she said. “My dad is a great creative mind and such a talented person. My mom is a great actor and is so nurturing. My mom would coach me when I didn’t have an acting coach, she would help me, read lines with me. She’d be so supportive.”

She continued, “I would have so many great discussions about film and filmmaking with my dad. They both would help me. My dad would also read lines with me and give direction.”

Deschanel also pointed to her sister, Bones actress Emily Deschanel, as a source of support.

“It just makes you automatically have a community, and how much our communities help us — whether it’s our families or our found communities,” she said.

The help certainly paid off. Deschanel has been acting since 1998, with appearances in Almost Famous, Yes Man, Our Idiot Brother, and many more titles. She later earned a Critics Choice Award for her performance as Jessica Day in New Girl.

Deschanel can next be seen in the live-action adaptation of Harold and the Purple Crayon, opposite Zachary Levi.