Zooey Deschanel Reveals Katie Holmes Was First Cast For Her Part In 'Elf'

New Line Cinema

Zooey Deschanel owes one of her first big breaks to a Hollywood superstar passing on the female lead role in Elf. Originally, Deschanel’s character Jovie was meant for a more well-known actor. But, because Deschanel made such a good impression during a very unconventional audition, she wound up landing the part that has since made her a Christmas season staple.

Deschanel recounted how she learned she’d lost the Elf role to Katie Holmes during her Dec. 17 appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast. “When I met with Jon Favreau, the director, I walked in and he was like, ‘Oh, you don’t need to read. We just offered it to Katie Holmes,'” Deschanel said.

At the time in the early 2000s, Holmes was at the height ...