Does Zooey Deschanel Smoke? ‘New Girl’ Actress Reveals Her Bad Habits PLUS Other Quirky Facts About Her Bangs, Childhood, And Belief In Love

She might be first known as the conniving Summer in '500 Days of Summer' but Zooey Deschanel later found a way to charm the hearts of people through her perky character in 'New Girl', Jessica Day. Behind her bangs and banters, who is Zooey Deschanel?

1. She tap dances and writes music as a pastime.

Her character's penchant for singing in 'New Girl' is not scripted for in real-life, Deschanel really considers writing music as her favorite leisurely activity. She has been tap dancing as well for the past 6 years. Her favorite musicals include 'Gigi', 'The Wizard of Oz', 'and 'The Sound of Music'.

2. She is a naturally shy person and admits to having difficulty in making friends.

Since her father is cinematographer, her family travelled extensively. For this reason, the doe-eyed beauty had difficulty in making friends as a child. It also took her some time before she let her singing talent known because of her shyness.

"I've always felt like an outsider and I still do when I go to fancy events. I still sit there and think, 'I don't belong here.' I feel like a kid at the adults' table ­ like I'm an outsider who got let inside somehow," she once said to Cosmopolitan. 

3. She stays away from bars.

As a person who doesn't like drinking alcoholic beverages, Deschanel wouldn't be impressed if one would bring her to a bar. She opts to have classic home bonding with her friends. Her signature dish? Homemade pesto.

Deschanel also does not smoke. Director Garth Jennings once commented about her personality: "It's a treat to be around her. She's just this lovely little creature, always dancing and singing. The rest of us sort of feel like the devil around her."

4. Her sister is an actress as well as her former schoolmates.

Her older sister, Emily, stars on the hit TV series 'Bones' whereas she went to high school with Kate Hudson and Jake Gyllenhaal.

5. Despite having a failed marriage, she still believes in lasting love.

In 2009, the brunette actress married Death Cab for Cutie's singer Ben Gibbard. Even if the couple separated just after two years, Deschanel's belief in love wasn't affected.

"True love that lasts forever. Yes, I do believe in it. My parents have been married for 40 years and my grandparents were married for 70 years. I come from a long line of true loves," she told Cosmopolitan Australia.

6. She thinks her bangs are part of the "Zooey Deschanel" brand.

When she attended the Met Ball 2013 without her signature fringe, fans nearly unrecognized her. While Deschanel thinks that branding is important, she admits to not be pressured by it.

"This business is all about branding! But I've never been like, "Let's calculate an image." I'm just, "I like that. Let's do that." I grew up loving French New Wave movies, and so a lot of what I like is that style."

7. She feels sad when girls bash each other.

As one of the founders of Hello Giggles, a website aspiring to uplift women's hearts, Deschanel doesn't like it when girls become catty.

"It makes me sad [when girls are bitchy]. Girls get competitive, as though there's only one spot in the world for everything ­ but that's not true. We need to stick together and see there's more to life than pleasing men. It's important not to cut yourself off from female friendships. I think sometimes girls get scared of other girls, but you need each other."

8. She has her own share of bad habits.

While Zooey Deschanel doesn't smoke, she also has a list of bad habits. She admittedly loves to pig on fruit, chocolate, and pastry. Despite her busy schedule, she loves having dinner with her parents at least twice a week.