Zooey Deschanel in The Happening Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Read Premiere's review of The Happening.

Zooey Deschanel is most famous for her roles in comedies like Elf (where she famously warbled "Baby It's Cold Outside" in the shower) and Almost Famous, plus indie fare like All the Real Girls, Winter Passing, and The Go-Getter. She's also known for winning the hearts of women and men alike with her winsome beauty, her DIY vintage-y style, and most recently, her new album with M. Ward under the moniker She & Him. This summer marks her debut as the leading lady of an honest-to-goodness popcorn blockbuster, M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening. In it, she plays the terrified Alma Moore, a woman on the run with her husband (Mark Wahlberg) and the daughter of their missing friend as they try to escape a horrible and mysterious epidemic that causes its victims to kill themselves in gruesome ways. She sat down with Premiere for a one-on-one interview to discuss her love for M. Night Shyamalan and Mark Wahlberg, her fear of fake blood, and her upcoming projects with Jim Carrey and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Premiere: What did you think of the journalist earlier that day who described your character in The Happening, Alma Moore, as ditzy?
I think it's interesting to hear what people think of characters 'cause I don't want to impose my own thoughts of what the character is supposed to be on anyone else's point of view. If it came off that way, I think there was some subconscious way I was nudging the character, obviously, that brought it to that. I wouldn't describe her as ditzy; I think she is extremely neurotic, which maybe can come off [as ditzy] — you know, some people might describe it as ditzy, but she's neurotic and she's nervous and she's dealing with a situation that's beyond her understanding. Because even well-informed people wouldn't know how to respond to the situation.

This is your second science-fiction movie. Are you drawn to science fiction at all or is it just the characters who led you there?
I usually just choose movies because of characters. I mostly don't do science fiction. I mostly do comedies and dramas sort of straight up. But yeah, I mostly do things because of the director and because of the character and the script.

So which part of that attracted you to this project? Was it M. Night or the script, the cast?
Initially, it was M. Night. I love his movies; I think he's really, really talented. And Mark [Wahlberg], I love Mark's movies. I'm a big fan of Mark; I think he's amazing. So I was excited to work with them... I flew out to Philadelphia without having read the script... It was like, "If you fly out there, maybe they'll give you a script." And I was like, "Okay, alright!" And no one had read it.

Zooey Deschanel at Sundance Photo by Jennifer Cooper

Did M. Night want to keep it a surprise?
No, I think he just keeps it close, you know. And for good reason, because I think people are too curious sometimes, like they want to read the script before the movie comes out. But I think a lot of times it's like, a filmmaker doesn't want anyone to see it before it's fully finished. Even a rough cut is not... movies can change so much in the editing process, and so you don't want people to see it before it's final. So I think he was just being choosy about who he shared it with.

Right, and I'm sure people were really curious 'cause he usually has a twist.
I'm sure that feels like someone's trying to take something away from you when you're trying to entertain people and everyone's just trying to undermine the entertainment.

This film is about fear, and specifically the fear of being alone. How do you cope with that? All of these characters have these different ways of coping with that.
I think, you know, in those moments you have, I mean, I feel like you want to be around people you love and it makes your [making quote gesture with fingers] problems seem insignificant, so in terms of what do you do, I think that is the question that the film raises. The film raises questions more than it [answers them]. A lot of people are saying that it has a message, and in a way it has a message, but I think the message is more like a question, like, "What would you do in this situation? Does this seem possible to you? Like, think about it." It's more of a "think about it" kind of message than anything. And I like that about it. It doesn't feel too preachy.