Zooey Deschanel Says New Girl Cast Was So Exhausted They Had to Drive Home Half-Asleep

The cast of New Girl may have brought plenty of laughs to television, but filming the hit sitcom was not always fun behind the scenes.

Zooey Deschanel recently revealed that the cast often worked such long hours that they had to drive themselves home late at night because none of them had regular rides to and from the set.

Speaking with her former co-star Jake Johnson on his podcast We’re Here to Help, Deschanel said the filming schedule was intense.

“The hours were insane,” she recalled. “I would drive home from work and be almost like falling asleep.”

The exhaustion became so serious that Deschanel sometimes needed help from her family to make it home safely.

She said her mother would wake up in the middle of the night when Deschanel called to say she was too tired to drive.

“My mom would wake up in the middle of the night because I’d be like, ‘I’m so tired. I can’t drive home,’” Deschanel said. “And she would wake up to talk to me so I’d stay awake. Isn’t that really sweet?”

Johnson agreed that the cast's schedule was extremely demanding.

The actor also shared a recent experience that reminded him of those long New Girl days. He and fellow New Girl star Damon Wayans Jr. recently spent a long day filming their upcoming comedy series, inspired by The Cable Guy.

Johnson said the exhaustion eventually made the actors act silly between takes.

“You get so weird because you’re so overtired,” he explained. After more than 13 hours of filming, he and Wayans Jr. began doing things simply to make each other laugh.

While the cast clearly struggled with the demanding schedule, they have also spoken warmly about their time on New Girl. The series, which ran for seven seasons, developed a loyal fan base and remains popular with viewers.

Now, fans may have another reason to be excited.

Max Greenfield recently hinted that a New Girl revival could be on the way. During an appearance on Today in July, Greenfield said creator Elizabeth Meriwether had written new scripts.

“I’m not gonna play the game,” Greenfield said. “As far as I know, it’s happening.”

For fans of Jess, Nick, Schmidt and the rest of the gang, that could mean a return to the loft may be closer than expected.