If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, The Hollywood Reporter may receive an affiliate commission.
The holidays arrived early for Zooey Deschanel — and she’s loving every second.
“I like to get into the Christmas or holiday season as soon as possible,” the veteran star explained to The Hollywood Reporter while seated inside a palatial mansion that had been turned into a veritable winter wonderland courtesy of Bath & Body Works on Oct. 21. The popular retailer recruited Deschanel to front its new Season of Wonder campaign that debuted today, so they hosted her along with press, VIPs and influencers at a Beverly Hills home that had been decorated with its fragrant offerings, Christmas trees, snow globes and plenty of pastel accoutrements to match the new collection.
The actress, fresh from wrapping the She & Him Tour with her bandmates and reuniting with her New Girl family at a fundraiser in L.A., opened up to THR about her favorite holiday traditions, the changing landscape of Hollywood for actors and performers and what she’s really itching to do on the work front.
Why did you say yes to this partnership with Bath & Body Works?
I feel very nostalgic about Bath & Body Works. It’s something I’ve loved since high school, and still love. It’s one of those things that just feels like a classic. I was also excited because I love the holidays, and Bath & Body Works has all these beautiful seasonal scents. It’s fun to experience the holidays fully every day, and having a different scent for every day makes that easy.
What does it mean to experience the holidays fully?
I want to feel like, “I did it. I did Christmas.” I want to be tired of Christmas by the time it ends — or after New Year’s — and think, “OK, I can be without this amazing, wonderful thing for 10 months now.” I love that you can live out the holidays fully through all the scents. If you’re not baking Christmas cookies or singing Christmas carols every day, you can experience the holidays in whatever way works for you. Everyone is different. Some people want to wear perfume every day, while others just want a subtle body wash. Some people like to light a candle; I love the home fragrance. I also love it for gifting because I enjoy giving gifts and picking out something special for my friends. Candles are a great gift because everyone is on a diet or not drinking now. People are trying to be so good. A candle is something you can enjoy even if you’re on a diet or not drinking alcohol.
It’s almost the new etiquette of gift-giving in Hollywood.
It’s gluten-free. (Laughs.)
Do you have a favorite scent?
What I love is that there are so many different ones to choose from, and you can express a different part of your personality every day. My favorite is Moonlit Goddess. I make them give me more of it because I love it so much. They make all of these scents in different forms, so you can enjoy them in pretty much any way you like. It’s a seasonal scent, but it feels very year-round to me. It smells like pears and lavender. [She uncovers a candle and offers it up to smell.]
That’s good. It’s so smooth.
It’s smooth.
Are you someone who starts decorating for the holidays the day after Thanksgiving?
The day after Halloween — if I can. It depends, but I like to get into the Christmas or holiday season as soon as possible.
What are some other Zooey Deschanel holiday traditions you look forward to each year?
I love making a huge batch of sugar cookies and letting my kids decorate them. Everything gets everywhere, but it’s so fun. They’re so proud of the cookies, and we put them out on Christmas and say, “We made these.” I love singing Christmas carols. I grew up in choirs, so singing Christmas carols feels very nostalgic for me. I love singing harmonies and singing with other people. I also love picking out gifts for people, thinking about their personalities and trying to give them something they’ll love. I love spending time with family, decorating for Christmas and coming up with themes. It’s all so fun.
Speaking of harmonies, congratulations on just finishing your She & Him Tour. How was it?
It was so fun. We had a song go viral this year. It was something I wrote 25 years ago that was on our first record, and it ended up charting. It was nice to get to play it for a new group of people who maybe didn’t know our music before. There were lots and lots of young people. It was so much fun, and playing music is always such a joy for me. It was very exciting to get to do that.
Did the tour feel different this time around?
It was actually smaller than what we’ve done in the past. We used to tour with a lot more people, but this time we toured with fewer musicians. It was really fun to rearrange everything. We were doing mostly the material I wrote for our Volume One, Volume Two and Volume 3 records. That was really fun because we had been doing a lot of holiday tours. We have a couple of holiday records that we’re very proud of, and our last tour was, I think, a holiday tour. It was great to get back out there and play the songs from those records, then reimagine them with a smaller group. Everything sounded great. It was so much fun.
You’ve also been busy with acting. Congratulations on the film Trash Mountain with Caleb Hearon, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Has it found a home yet?
I think they’re very close to figuring that out, but I don’t have a final update. I’ll let you know once I know.
We don’t want to get you in trouble.
I don’t want to get in trouble. But I love that movie, and I’m so proud of it. We were all there because we loved the story, loved the script and loved Caleb. It’s a movie I’m immensely proud of, so I’m excited that people are seeing it and responding to it.
Even if you hadn’t reunited with your New Girl friends recently, I feel like I’m still contractually obligated to ask you about New Girl.
It’s in your contract. (Laughs.)
The New Girl reunion at the Chrysalis fundraiser went viral because seeing the cast back together warms so many hearts. Since you’re all still close and everyone likes each other, are we any closer to an official screen reunion of some sort?
I don’t know because there’s a lot of legal stuff involved. There are many different entities and people involved. I wish I were the authority on that, but I’m very much not. I’m really close with everybody, though. That event was incredible, and hats off to Max [Greenfield] for getting everyone together. He worked so hard to make sure everyone could be there. It was an incredible event for Chrysalis, which is such a great organization. They do such great work, and we were thrilled to help them raise money for a great cause.
Did you get to hang out or grab a drink afterward?
I had to split the night between the event and my sister’s birthday, but I do see everybody fairly often. Since that event, I’ve seen both Lamorne and Hannah — literally last week. I see them all on a regular basis.
Looking ahead to 2027, what are you still itching to do? Would you go back to series-regular work?
I would, if it were the right project. But I love doing little indie films. I’d love to do more things like Trash Mountain. It was such a great experience, and I love the pace of making independent films. That’s how I started out. Coming from network TV, I like that fast-paced work. It’s very exhilarating. I’d love to do more indie films and stretch my creativity in different ways.
When you’re talking with your actor friends, what are the conversations like? The business is in such a strange place, and a lot of people are scared.
You have to think creatively and try to work in different ways than you have in the past because the business has changed so much. To me, the one constant in entertainment is that it’s always changing. I feel lucky that I do music as well. When one thing isn’t happening, I’m able to do the other. That’s great for me. But I know there’s been a lot of frustration over the last few years, especially among actor friends, because the nature of being an actor is that you’re often waiting for jobs.
Any way you can stretch your creative muscles — whether that’s taking an acting class, getting together with friends, making a film yourself or thinking outside the box — is really helpful. We all do this because we love it at heart. I didn’t get into being an actor for the money. I got into it because I love it.
And for some free Bath & Body Works products.
Free Bath & Body Works is another plus.
Are you a New Year’s resolutions person? Have you identified anything you want to focus on?
I’m always making resolutions every day of my life. I’m always thinking, “I’ve got to do more of this.” So I’m not really a New Year’s person, but it is a nice way to reset. I think it’s good to have a north star or something you’re aiming toward. It’s about honing in on what’s important to you and recognizing that you’re happiest when you’re moving toward the things that make you happy. The new year can be a time to think about what makes you happy and how to aim toward those things.
See below for more products from the Season of Wonder holiday collection.
