29 September 2011

Seriously... does Zooey Deschanel have Asperger's?

She's an almost ubiquitous figure in the indie movie and indie music scene, but it's hard to believe Zooey Deschanel has really only been pop culturally relevant for the past few years. Her breakout performance (and her best work to date) in the amazing Almost Famous came in 2000, but it's only been with recent movies like (500) Days of Summer and her sudden musical activity in She & Him that she's suddenly a major figure. With the trademark Deschanel eyes (just look at this family pic - creepy intense eyes are a family trait), she's always been recognizable, it's just now that the fame is kicking in.

I don't know much about Deschanel's music, but my assumption is it would be kind of folksy, indie, and emo all rolled into one. I've heard her sing a song here and there in a few of her movies - not bad, but not great. Not exactly soothing, dulcet tones.

What I do know is that her acting hasn't been all that great. She's somewhat interesting to watch, but her presence is kind of mousy, and her range is pretty poor. Especially now that she's gotten popular. Now she doesn't even act - she just brands her persona. "Here is Zooey in a movie; here is Zooey singing a song; now Zooey is dancing, isn't she cute in an awkward way? That's Zooey for ya!"

Persona brands have been around for decades, of course (from the Marx Brothers to Cary Grant to Woody Allen, everybody has their shtick), but after watching an episode of her new TV show New Girl, I genuinely think that Zooey Deschanel has a legit mental issue. Just watch her. Her pacing is all wrong, the way she carries herself is awkward and clumsy, she always has a kind of vacant look in her eyes... Seriously, does Zooey Deschanel have Asperger's? I've never met anyone with Asperger's, but I've heard plenty about it, and she seems to match it pretty well. As the credits rolled, I turned to my fiancee to ask this very question, and I didn't even have to finish - she thought the same thing. I'm telling you, we're on to something.

That, or she's taking this awkward indie persona to a whole new level.

15 comments:

  1. I like Zooey. I think she is a very good actor, albeit with a limited range. Although I love Almost Famous (one of the best films of that decade), I feel her best role was in 500 Days of Summer. I loved that film, although, as much as I like Zooey, I am a bigger fan of Joseph Gorden-Levitt.

    I do love She and Him, however. I thought their first album great. Folksy? Yes. Indie? Ehhh. Emo? Not at all. She and Him would have felt right at home in the mid-fifties. I saw them a few years ago, and the show was electric. Their second album wasn't as good as the first, but it was still a very solid effort.

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  2. Glad to get the perspective of someone who actually can speak for her musical abilities. Fifties how so? She & Him from the name alone sounds like it would be very minimalist, almost along the lines of Bright Eyes, though hopefully not as pretentious. You know, I should just listen to a few songs and find out myself, haha.

    As for (500) Days of Summer, I was disappointed. There are things I liked about it, and it's not like I hated the movie, just overall I expected more. I kept thinking of Annie Hall and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - similar concepts, but executed much better in my view.

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  3. Fifties how? Try the sweet melodies and simple lyrics. It is almost anti-emo. No angst whatsoever. It should tell you something that the two covers they have on the first album are the Beatles' "I should Have Known Better" and Smokey Robinson's "You Really Got a Hold on Me." (Although arguably the two weakest songs on the album)They are done without any trace of irony or modernism. I suppose I should have said late fifties, early sixties.

    As for (500) Days of Summer, I feel your Annie Hall is a more apt comparison than Eternal Sunhine. I thought the nonlinear narrative worked very well. The idea being that people don't remember their past relationships in chronological order is one I agree with. When I think back on my relationship with my first girlfriend, I tend to jump all over the place.

    I feel the acting was strong, with major props going out to Joseph Gordon-Levitt who has bucked the trend that ruin so many young stars and matured into a wonderful actor.

    Although I loved the Hall and Oats musical number, complete with a hilarious cameo of sorts by Harrison Ford, the highlight of the film for me was the split-screen party scene where Joseph's character was hoping to get back together with Zooey. As someone who has been there, planned out exactly how the night was going to go, only to have it go down in flames, watching his hopes play out right next to the cold reality of what actually happens was a very moving experience.

    The only thing I really didn't like was his little sister. Although I love the girl who played her, that little know-it-all, mini Juno felt out of place.

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  4. I didn't like 500 days. I didn't hate it either. It felt "done" and a little too whiny. Maybe it wasn't heart-wrenching enough for me. I'll take Blue Valentine thank you.

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  5. Dave - I liked the scene you mentioned, as well as that other sequence where Gordon-Levitt talks about all the things he likes about Summer and then follows it up with all the things he hates. And that little girl - really out of place. Really brought the film down when she was on-screen.

    Kate - Ooh, Blue Valentine! Great movie. I'd like to watch it again already.

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  6. I have Asperger's. It's plausible, I've suspected her sister for a while and it can run in families.

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  7. I have hfa, I've seen enough traits to make me search for this at least. There's something in the way she moves and her voice that seems really familiar.

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  8. I didn't really there were comments here - or that typing "zooey deschanel aspergers" into Google puts this entry at #3. Sorry to leave you guys out!

    Like I said, I'm not expert, but it would not surprise me in the least. It could all be an elaborate act/persona, of course, but she's so consistent about it I find that hard to believe too.

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  9. Anyone who's seen her in "All the Real Girls" knows she's a good actress. Her recent stuff is a tad lazy, but that shouldn't detract from the great work she's done in the past. As for the Asperger's thing, being slightly quirky doesn't make you autistic, although a very mild case is possible.

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  10. Don't get me wrong - she's done great work. I'm a huge fan of Almost Famous, and All the Real Girls is another strong entry. At best, though, she's a decent actress with severely limited range.

    You're right, quirkiness is not the same as Asperger's, but that's not what I was suggesting. I'm suggesting she may have some form of autism for other reasons, such as the vacant eyes, awkward body carriage, atypical speech phrasing, etc.

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  11. Some people are just that awkward, but as said before, a mild case is plausible. It isn't known and you can't really know unless you know her personally because of other traits some people with asperger's have been known to have.

    As for acting? Meh. I like her in Princess and the Pea, she was cute.

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  12. I, myself, have Asperger's syndrome... but no one even noticed it for 14 years. I only got a diagnosis at the age of 14... because I'd learnt so many tactics for coping, and had learned to disguise it so well... I haven't seen Zooey herself in many things, but am an avid watcher of the TV series, Bones, so am quite familiar with her sister, Emily, and have noticed traits of Asperger's in her... it is quite possible that both the sisters have it, or at least traits of Asperger's syndrome.

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    1. You aren't familiar with Emily; you're familiar with her character which may be very different. You are mixing the person's fictional persona with her real one. Your observation is of Temperance and not Emily. Therefore you can't say that she, in real life, may actually show traces of Asperger's.

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  13. Hey, I also have hfa--I would agree that she's definitely quirky...however (I'm sure you didn't know because you've never met anyone with it) ASDs are not "mental issues." They can be politically correctly referred to as neurological disorders or developmental disorders (I personally prefer the first), but "mental issue" makes it seem like there's something wrong... (like I said, I'm sure you never meant to offend anyone and I'm really not trying to attack you; just for future reference).

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  14. Asbergers in no longer an accepted term or diagnosis and is very harmful to the autistic community, both to those not deemed typical enough to have that distinction and to those who have that label and are not seen as needing the support needs necessary for their personal needs.
    What you actually mean to say would be “ Is Zoey Deschanel autistic?” And yes, most likely both her and Emily her sister are both on the spectrum, it is very much genetic, and would be considered as having low support needs, which means less of the co-morbid symptoms that can coincide with autism, such as being non verbal, having learning delays or deficits, or having extreme sensitivities or sensory issues, all of which can come with autism but none of which define it. Asbergers and other functioning labels are no longer used because they are not accurate, and we love accuracy. Autism is a neurotype, it basically means that your processing speed and overall brain function is more diverse and expansive. Think in terms of like google maps. You put in a destination, a Neurotypical person trustingly follows that map to point b from point a without thinking much of it. A neurodiverse person will zoom out on the map, check all possible routes, account for traffic, school zones, and problematic intersections and choose the route which suits them best, saving it in a file which is tagged with all the circumstances that lead to that choice for future reference. Autistic people tend to have higher intelligence quotients, hyperspecific hobbies that typically focus on studying other humans ( anything from watching reality tv to studying psychology or anatomy) and have a very strong sense of justice, that is not to say they all are law abiding, laws are ethically and morally flawed and we make our own strongly held standards and live by them. Which is great when in reference to human right activism, ugly with religious extremism, which are both just products of the environment and upbringing. Learning about autism is incredibly helpful in understanding the world and people around you, you very well could have friends or family who are on the spectrum, and who would benefit from you better understanding how they work and what their needs are. It’s an act of love to learn.

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