The Raunchy Comedy That Ruined Zooey Deschanel's Career

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00:01Dill-Eyed actress Zooey Deschanel appeared in a slew of movies before landing the role

00:05of Jessica Juste on the comedy New Girl.

00:08The series, which earned Deschanel an Emmy nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy

00:11Series in 2012, aired for seven seasons on Fox and chronicled the lives of Deschanel's

00:16character, a quirky teacher-turned-principle, and her three male roommates.

00:20In 2014, New Girl was the lead-out program following Super Bowl XLVIII, joining an elite

00:25club that includes the hit series The Office, Friends, and Glee.

00:28It seemed like Deschanel's star could never fall, especially seeing how her co-stars

00:32like Lamorne Morris and Jake Johnson went on to star in the likes of big productions like

00:36Bloodshot and Jurassic World.

00:38Once a hot prospect in Hollywood, Deschanel's career since seems to have stalled.

00:42"...are you sad because you're on your own on Valentine's Night?"

00:45"...ugh, don't you start with me, Gordon Ramsay."

00:48It's not for lack of trying on her end.

00:50She starred in several films alongside some of the biggest names in the industry.

00:54One of her standout performances was playing a lead role in 2009's 500 Days of Summer.

00:59So what happened?

01:00In 2011, as she transitioned from the big to small screens, Deschanel appeared in the film

01:04that seems to have effectively put an end to her movie career.

01:07Deschanel played Belladonna in the medieval stoner comedy Your Highness.

01:11The movie was directed by David Gordon Green and featured an all-star cast, including Natalie

01:15Portman, James Franco, and Danny McBride, who co-wrote the script.

01:19Green told Den of Geek that while growing up, he was an avid fan of fantasy films such as Conan

01:23the Destroyer, The Sword and the Sorcerer, and Beastmaster.

01:26Green stated he and McBride's intention was, quote, to make one of those movies, put our

01:29stamp on it and bring our sensibility to it, but work within the genre.

01:33The result was a royal mess, according to critics.

01:36Your Highness holds a 27 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

01:39The movie's box office tally was equally abysmal, garnering $28 million worldwide against

01:44a $50 million budget.

01:45Roger Ebert had this to say about Deschanel's performance,

01:48She's brought on stage, quickly kidnapped by an evil sorcerer, spends a good deal of time

01:52as a captive in his lair, is rescued, and lives happily ever after.

01:55She might as well be a mannequin, for all she's given to say and do.

01:58This intelligent, nuanced actress, standing there baffled, used as a placeholder.

02:03Hmm, sounds flimsy.

02:05That's something you sadly could say about a lot of female roles over the years, and

02:09many actresses don't face similar scrutiny for playing an underdeveloped heroine.

02:13The problem appears to relate to what came after Your Highness for Zooey Deschanel.

02:16To be fair, Ebert's issue had more to do with the script than Zooey Deschanel's acting abilities.

02:21Is it him?

02:22Are you looking to him?

02:23Is it Colney?

02:24Is it Colney?

02:25No, it's Colney.

02:26Regardless, a high-profile bomb can turn an actress into box office poison.

02:29While Deschanel's co-stars managed to rebound from the fantasy debacle, the actress hasn't

02:33found a project to rejuvenate her film career.

02:35She appeared in two more critical and box office disappointments, The Driftless Area and Rock the

02:39Casbah, further reinforcing her declining film career.

02:42The actress voiced the character of Bridget in Trolls and Trolls World Tour, but she hasn't

02:46been seen in a live-action role on the big screen in six years.

02:49However, Deschanel's priorities might have changed in the time since she starred in a

02:52film.

02:53In a 2018 interview with InStyle magazine, Deschanel said,

02:56"...I have two kids, and they're very important to me.

02:59I'm really focused on them, so I want to make sure that whatever I do next is really good.

03:03It has to be really good for me to leave them and go to work."

03:05Still, don't feel too bad for the actress just yet.

03:08She's still working, and could most recently be seen as co-host of The Celebrity Dating

03:12Game alongside Michael Bolton.

03:13The series puts a fun twist on the classic dating game format, but with single celebrities

03:17looking for love.

03:18She's still raking in plenty of TV time.

03:20It's just her film resume that's hit a snag.

03:22Zooey Deschanel's career, which started white hot, has cooled down, and while some may argue

03:26Your Highness isn't solely to blame, it marked the beginning of the end of her box office appeal.

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