Zooey Deschanel Reveals Which Actor Almost Landed Her 'Elf' Role

"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,'"

"And I was like, 'Oh, OK, cool.'"

"What was great about that was I wasn't nervous. When you're an actor, you're first starting, and you're auditioning, you get nervous, and you're psyching yourself up. I wasn't nervous at all, because I was like, 'Well, I'm not getting the part.'"

"I think the character was kind of meant to be worked around whoever played her, and they knew I sang because I had a cabaret act, so that kind of worked out with the character."

Zooey Deschanel auditioned for the role of Jovie in Elf and was initially told the part had been offered to Katie Holmes. Director Jon Favreau asked Deschanel to sit and talk, which relaxed her because she assumed she had not gotten the role. Several months later Holmes dropped out, reportedly due to a scheduling conflict with Dawson's Creek, and Deschanel was offered the part. Deschanel's cabaret singing influenced the character, leading to on-screen singing. The casting change helped shape a memorable romantic lead and contributed to the film's iconic moments.

Read at Bustle