After the launch of Zooey Deschanel’s “New Girl” watch podcast, “Welcome to Our Show” (via Insiders). “I was ready to do it, we were just negotiating, and then I got the script for ‘New Girl,'” she recalls. “And to be honest, if I hadn’t had in mind that I’d be doing this part on ‘The Office,’ I wouldn’t have even opened up to read a TV script.”
The actress considered the long-term potential for both roles and considered Jess the winning choice. Recalling her decision process, Deschanel said, “It was really a great opportunity because I was able to play this character hopefully for a longer period of time and get into the character so deeply. sharper than I did in two hours and that’s it.” Thankfully, the pick paid off with Deschanel’s “New Girl” running for seven seasons.
https://www.looper.com/746584/zooey-deschanel-reveals-the-reason-she-turned-down-the-office/ Zooey Deschanel Reveals Why She Turned Down Office