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Emily Deschanel Opens Up About Sisterly Bond with Zooey Deschanel
Actress Emily Deschanel, 49, is giving fans a peek into her relationship with younger sister and fellow actress, Zooey Deschanel, 45, revealing a dynamic that has evolved from childhood squabbles to a strong adult friendship.
During an appearance on Michael Rosenbaum’s “Inside of You” podcast on October 14, Emily shared, “We are very good friends with my sister,” though she quickly clarified that this wasn’t always the case. “We have our times for sure.
I mean, like, it’s a complicated thing to be sisters. But we’re definitely very close.
I mean, we fought a lot as kids.”
Emily elaborated on their childhood antics, admitting that she and Zooey “would physically fight each other.” She humorously added, “There’s nobody who would push my buttons more.
I’m sure I push her buttons more than anybody else.” The “Bones” star noted that their bond significantly strengthened once she “went to college,” attributing the improvement to “the distance.”
The sisterly connection extends to their children as well. Emily’s sons, Henry, 14, and Calvin, 10 (with actor David Hornsby), enjoy a good relationship with Zooey’s children, Elsie, 10, and Charlie, 8 (from her previous marriage to Jacob Pechenik). HGTV star Jonathan Scott, Zooey’s fiancé, is the stepfather to her children.
Emily Deschanel Recalls Childhood Pranks with Zooey
This isn’t the first time Emily has discussed her early years with Zooey. In a September 2012 interview on “Conan,” Emily confessed to “torturing” Zooey as the older sister with no other siblings.
“We would physically fight all the time. But then I’d play kind of mental games with her,” Emily recounted.
“My favorite one was that I would tell her that I was from Neptune, that I was a Neptunian, that I’d killed her sister and taken over her body. And that I was going to kill her next.”
Further insights into their childhood came during a 2014 interview on “The Queen Latifah Show,” where Emily described the “New Girl” star as “very possessive about her things.” She quipped, “As a sister growing up, I was not allowed to touch her clothes or anything. It’s a good thing now we don’t wear the same size.”