'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' – Zooey Deschanel Q&A

With the film hitting cinemas tomorrow, the American star tells us what it's like to play earth's last remaining woman.

Apr 27 2005

Having made her name in indie hits 'The Good Girl', 'Eulogy' and 'All the Real Girls', Zooey Deschanel is making the transition to big-budget blockbuster as Trillian in 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'.

Time Out caught up with her to discuss British humour, alien boyfriends and what it's like to act opposite a seven-foot-tall Vogon.

How did you first hear about the project?

I knew the book as I'd read it when I was a kid, and then I head they were making a movie out of it. I had a meeting with Garth [Jennings, the director] and Nick [Goldsmith, the producer], we got along really well and then they flew me in to London to do a screen test. That also went well and we all just seemed to have a good time. It wasn't a stressful process and there wasn't any lobbying – we just all happened to get along, which was very fortunate.

What was it like working with all those Brits?

Terrible! No, I'm just kidding. It was fantastic. I loved working in London because there are so many wonderful filmmakers here, and the actors and the crew – it was just a great group of very talented people.

How do you find the British sense of humour?

I like it very much and I've always enjoyed English comedy. But I don't know if I would say that my sense of humour is very British. My character Trillian is kind of a dramatic character anyway. But the sense of humour is more something that I enjoy than something I can do myself, because it's not where I'm from.

How do you think the general humour in the film will go down with an American audience?

I think it will go down very well actually because although it's British humour, it's also unique unto itself. I was very pleased it was a comedy-adventure with special effects that doesn't pander to the audience like a lot of big movies do. It's nice to see this material treated well too, because it would have been such a shame to see it in the hands of someone who was going to make it into something inane or try to make it into some big Hollywood blockbuster.

Did you listen to the radio serial or watch the TV show for inspiration?

I listened to the radio show and read the books, of course. I also saw one episode of the TV show, not for inspiration though, just because I was curious. But there was no way I was going to be influenced by it because I have such a different approach to the character. I thought Sandra Dickinson was really funny in the part though – she was just hilarious.

Do you have much in common with Trillian yourself?

Not really, no. I mean I wouldn't go out with a two-headed half-wit alien.

Were you jealous you didn't get to wear the best costume?

I liked my costume and I'd rather wear mine. The other costumes, like Zaphod's, were a little bit flamboyant for me. As my dad would say: 'They're a little bit hysterical for my tastes.' I mean it's hilarious for the Zaphod character, but that coat was so hot!

How was it working with all the Henson creatures?

Those guys are awesome – I loved working with the creatures and all the guys that operate them are really good actors. And they also worked on the great puppet movies of all time like 'Dark Crystal' and 'Labyrinth'. I mean, how many movies do you get to work with seven-foot-tall Vogons? It's surreal. It's really fun to go to set and have these crazy creatures around as I usually do small, character-driven movies, independent movies. And to show up to set and be told that you're working with a robot and four aliens, it's really pretty exciting.

And what about all that CGI?

There was none of that really, except for Sam's second head and a lot of the background. But most things were very immediate, with the characters themselves – I was never doing scenes with inanimate objects, having to act with a piece of tape or whatever.

How does filming in the UK compare with working in the States?

It was really great. As I said, there are so many talented people and craftsmen working here – the sets were just unbelievable. And you have a better choice of food over here than in the States. Other than that I would say they are pretty similar.

What are you working on next?

I'm about to shoot a movie called 'Failure to Launch'. I don't want to talk about it too much, but it stars Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew McConaughey and it's about a woman whose job it is to get men out of their parents' house. I start that soon.

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