[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https://www.nme.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Zooey-Deschanel-Britney.jpg”]
Zooey Deschanel went blonde for ‘Elf’ because she was supposed to play pop star “like Britney Spears”
The star’s breakthrough role saw her sporting a different look
Zooey Deschanel has revealed that the reason she has blonde hair in Christmas movie Elf was because she auditioned for the part of a pop star.
One of the New Girl star’s breakthrough roles was playing Will Ferrell’s love interest in 2003’s Elf, with the actor sporting blonde dyed hair as opposed to her natural dark hair. During an appearance on The Zach Sang Show on Monday (July 6), she explained the reasoning behind it.
“I did a screen test for a movie that never ended up going about like a pop star that was like Britney Spears,” she recalled. “It didn’t ever happen, but yeah, it was a pop star that was like Britney Spears, who then — it’s like Roman Holiday, where she has a day where she’s not a pop star.”
She explained that the change was because “I didn’t look to [the producers] what a pop star looks like — so they were like, ‘We’re going to make you into a pop star.’ They dyed my hair blonde, and they put these extensions in, and they gave me a tan and a whole thing. I did look as much like a pop star as I can. But then the movie never happened, but then here I was with this blonde hair.”
She continued: “It was right after that screen test that I went in for Elf. Once I got cast, I was like, ‘Well, can I dye my hair back brown?’ And they were like, ‘No, you need to look how you looked in the audition.’ So that’s how I ended up blonde in Elf. Not because I was like, ‘I need to be blonde.’ It was really random.”
Zooey Deschanel would become a pop star of sorts as part of the duo She & Him (alongside M.Ward), whose 2010 album ‘Volume Two’ would reach number six on the Billboard 200 chart. She has also sung on various movie soundtracks, including Elf where she sings ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’.
Recommended
In 2024, the star opened up about another famous role, that of the title character in 500 Days Of Summer. She discussed how she received abuse due to the film’s success and how she has always felt “protective” of the character.
You May Also Like
TRENDING
More Stories
Zooey Deschanel has revealed that the reason she has blonde hair in Christmas movie Elf was because she auditioned for the part of a pop star.
One of the New Girl star’s breakthrough roles was playing Will Ferrell’s love interest in 2003’s Elf, with the actor sporting blonde dyed hair as opposed to her natural dark hair. During an appearance on The Zach Sang Show on Monday (July 6), she explained the reasoning behind it.
“I did a screen test for a movie that never ended up going about like a pop star that was like Britney Spears,” she recalled. “It didn’t ever happen, but yeah, it was a pop star that was like Britney Spears, who then — it’s like Roman Holiday, where she has a day where she’s not a pop star.”
She explained that the change was because “I didn’t look to [the producers] what a pop star looks like — so they were like, ‘We’re going to make you into a pop star.’ They dyed my hair blonde, and they put these extensions in, and they gave me a tan and a whole thing. I did look as much like a pop star as I can. But then the movie never happened, but then here I was with this blonde hair.”
She continued: “It was right after that screen test that I went in for Elf. Once I got cast, I was like, ‘Well, can I dye my hair back brown?’ And they were like, ‘No, you need to look how you looked in the audition.’ So that’s how I ended up blonde in Elf. Not because I was like, ‘I need to be blonde.’ It was really random.”
Zooey Deschanel would become a pop star of sorts as part of the duo She & Him (alongside M.Ward), whose 2010 album ‘Volume Two’ would reach number six on the Billboard 200 chart. She has also sung on various movie soundtracks, including Elf where she sings ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’.
Recommended
In 2024, the star opened up about another famous role, that of the title character in 500 Days Of Summer. She discussed how she received abuse due to the film’s success and how she has always felt “protective” of the character.
[analyse_source url=”https://www.nme.com/news/film/zooey-deschanel-went-blonde-for-elf-because-she-was-supposed-to-play-pop-star-like-britney-spears-3955700″]