New Girl actor Zooey Deschanel recently discussed the term "Manic Pixie Dream Girl," explaining that she doesn't think it's the right way to describe her.
When asked about the characterization in an interview with The Guardian, Deschanel said, "I don't feel it's accurate. I'm not a girl. I'm a woman. It doesn't hurt my feelings, but it's a way of making a woman one-dimensional and I'm not one-dimensional."
The phrase was famously used by audiences to describe Deschanel's character Summer in the 2009 film 500 Days of Summer. Film critic Nathan Rabin, who coined the term, defined the Manic Pixie Dream Girl as someone who "exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures."
While Deschanel shut down descriptions of her as that kind of figure, she is optimistic that Hollywood is veering away from the stereotype. "The more screen time a female character gets," she explained, "the more space there is to show complexities, but there has been a shift, so I'm optimistic."
Deschanel got her start in acting in 1998 in the TV series Veronica's Closet, and landed her first major role in the 2000 film Almost Famous as a rebellious teen named Anita. She's now best known for her role in Fox's New Girl, where she plays Jess, a young teacher who moves in with three single guys after a tough breakup. Created by Elizabeth Meriwether, the show premiered in September 2011 and came to an end in May 2018, running for a total of 7 seasons.
The actor has been keeping busy since New Girl ended. In 2020, she reprised her role as the voice of Bridget in Trolls 2: World Tour, which follows Queen Poppy (Anna Kendrick) as she attempts to save her troll friends from the Queen of Hard Rock.
Deschanel's upcoming roles include Bill Pohlad's Dreamin' Wild, which follows musicians Donnie (Casey Affleck) and Joe (Walton Goggins) as they attempt to produce a record in the 1970s, and Harold and the Purple Crayon, a children's movie which follows a young boy and his purple crayon embarking on an epic adventure, slated to come out sometime in 2023.
All seven seasons of New Girl are currently available to stream on Netflix.
Source: The Guardian