Zooey Deschanel is often known for her quirky personality, her bangs and big blue eyes, and for her notable role on New Girl, where her character Jess was basically indistinguishable from her real-life identity. However, 2008 was a crucial year for the manic pixie dream girl community, because that’s when (500) Days of Summer came out.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt starred alongside Deschanel in the late-2000s indie rom-com. 18 years later, it definitely puts way too fine a point on the “you’re not like other girls” phenomenon. Still, the movie helped birth an era of twee so Millennial-coded that it’s permanently wearing a cropped cardigan and a chunky owl necklace.
In 2011, Deschanel co-founded the lifestyle website Hello Giggles. On the accompanying YouTube account, she posted several duets with famous friends. These showcased her spritely vocals and were usually backed by ukulele, as one did in 2011. In a video from December that year, Deschanel was joined by her friend Joseph Gordon-Levitt for a rendition of Nancy Wilson’s version of “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?”
In 2011 Throwback Video, Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt Prove They’ve Always Been Indie Twee Icons
Zooey Deschanel already had a history in music by that time, having formed the duo She & Him with M. Ward in 2006. This was the epitome of twee at the time. And yes, I did keep their 2008 and 2010 albums in my car, so sue me.
In this throwback duet, we get Deschanel on ukulele and Gordon-Levitt on acoustic guitar. Quality-wise, it looks like it was recorded using MacBook Photo Booth, but that just adds to the nostalgic vibe. The video description comes from Zooey Deschanel’s point of view. There she describes her friendship with Gordon-Levitt before they even did (500) Days of Summer.
“I have known Joe Gordon-Levitt for going on 12 years,” Deschanel wrote at the time. “We first met in the summer of 2000 while doing a tiny movie called Manic, where we bonded over a mutual appreciation for Harry Nilsson and Nina Simone, and I have been lucky enough to call him one of my dearest friends ever since.”
She continued, “When we did 500 Days of Summer 8 years later, we spent every lunch hour dancing to Marvin Gaye in the hair and make up trailer; we had loads of fun. I hope to do a thousand more movies with him because he’s simply the best. But in the meantime, we made a little New Year’s duet for all of you!”
Photo by Kevin Parry/WireImage
The post Ready to Feel Old? Relive the Peak of Twee With This Sweet Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt Duet appeared first on VICE.
