Zooey Deschanel Shared The Truth About Her Blond Hair Era & It Makes So Much Sense

Twee trailblazer Zooey Deschanel has has found the hairstyle that works for her – long, flowy brunette hair with heavy bangs – a style she has maintained in most of her roles. There were a few rare changes, like switching between red hair in "The Offspring: She's Got Issues," and a hazelnut brown bob in "The New Guy." Deschanel even went through a blond hair era in the early 2000s, rocking the look in "Sweet Friggin' Daisies," "House Hunting," and "Elf" – but according to the actor, "It was really random."

The "New Girl" star explained on the Zach Sang Show that she underwent a "pop star" makeover for a movie role. "I did a screen test for a movie ... about a pop star that was like Britney Spears," she said. "So they dye my hair blonde, and they put these like extensions in, gave me a tan, and the whole thing. I did look as much like a pop star as I can, but then, the movie never happened."

Deschanel was left with blond hair for some time as she dreaded the lengthy process of dying it back. "My hair is like almost black — to go from like really dark brown to light blonde is a long process ... It was just a little easier just to maintain the roots." Incidentally, this hair dilemma happened just before she auditioned for the 2003 hit "Elf" and why she appeared blond in the film. "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 blond," Deschanel recalled.

As a young, up-and-coming 21-year-old actor, Zooey Deschanel was willing to do what it took to land a role. Coloring her hair was the least of it, even if it meant putting it through some serious chemical processing. During a 2025 interview on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, the "500 Days of Summer" star explained there was a bad hair story behind why her hair looked so rigid while playing Jovie in the "Elf" movie. "My hair is like really stiff in the movie," she said. "Because it was bleached and then it was highlighted, you know."

Even after filming wrapped, Deschanel said the hairstyle damaged her hair. "And then I remember I had extensions and, of course, I was like young and dumb, and I remember they glued the extensions in and that I couldn't get them out. A I was like trying to pull them, and I like ripped my hair out and had like short pieces [in the back]," she recalled.

"Call Me Daddy" host Alex Cooper asked Deschanel whether she would consider bleaching her hair again at this stage in her career. "I would wear a wig because it's not great for your hair," she replied. As seen in her 2023 project, "Physical," Deschanel played bubbly blond aerobics rival Kelly Kilmartin, rocking a remarkably convincing '80s style wig — much like many of Deschanel's outfits with a vintage vibe, she pulled off the look effortlessly.