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Zooey Deschanel Her new romantic comedy unexpectedly delivers one of the most watchable holiday movies of the season, Merv.
“When I read the script, I didn’t think it was a Christmas movie. I thought it was a romantic comedy with dogs, and I was happy to do that,” Deschanel, 45, EXCLUSIVELY told US Weekly ahead of the film’s release on Wednesday, December 10. “And then it was like, ‘Oh, it’s set at Christmas!'”
Deschanel explained that while “Merv” is full of holiday cheer, viewers shouldn’t watch the film thinking it’s “a Christmas movie with elves, Santa Claus and reindeer” — e.g. Another of her famous holiday classicsin 2003 Elf? “Christmas is a little bit of a sprinkle,” she said. “What I like is that it has Christmas in it, but you can watch it any time of the year.”
This holiday brings more emotional impact to people Melfive, Stories about ex Anna (Deschanel) and Russ (Charlie Cox) after going their separate ways, they desperately try to co-parent their beloved dog. When they learned that Merv suffered from depression—and that the word “Xanax” was thrown out by veterinarians—they agreed to put aside their differences for the sake of the pup’s well-being.
“Having Christmas as the backdrop, the joy of having the holidays as the backdrop means that, emotionally, everything is amplified a little bit because it’s more challenging to feel alone or broken during this holiday season than it is in the middle of summer, when it’s not all about love and Christmas and everyone being together,” the director Jessica Swale explain to us. “So, I think storytelling is fun from an actor’s perspective because it gives you that extra stakes and the atmosphere behind the drama.”
Deschanel agreed, noting that audience empathy also rises during the holidays. “If you were alone on a Tuesday night and thought about a man, you’d think, ‘Hmm,'” she said with a shrug. “And then you’re like, ‘Spending Christmas alone? Oh no!'”
It turns out that Anna, Lars, and Merv are all lonely from their breakups, but that all changes when they take a trip to a puppy dream hotel in Florida (well, Lars and Merv go, and Anna tags along). Spending time in the Sunshine State provides Anna and Lars with ways to tie up loose ends, while Merv is surrounded by many furry friends.
Swale admits that this setup doesn’t always lend itself to the most organized of shooting days, but it does provide plenty of “fun” in its continued “spontaneity.”
“There are 20 or 30 dogs in a lot of scenes, and they’re not professional show dogs,” Swale revealed with a laugh. “They don’t have the discipline that Gus (who plays Merv) has in being a Hollywood star, so they’re more rogue and things can get a little crazy.”
Swale points out one particular scene during dog yoga as particularly hilarious. “I had a bunch of handlers behind the camera, and they were all trying to communicate with all the different dogs in the room, and all the dogs would be like, ‘Ah, there’s a whole bunch of people making different gestures, where am I looking? I don’t know what I’m supposed to do!’ It was kind of chaotic.”
Luckily, Swale had planned ahead to ensure that the dog hotel, called Dog Beach, was more of a laid-back destination where dogs were free to be their energetic selves. “This is supposed to be a normal resort where people bring their pets from all over the country to have a good time, and in my opinion, dogs are just dogs,” she said.
Deschanel admits that as a self-proclaimed cat mom, visiting a dog resort has never been on her to-do list. Yet she has, traveling with her cat Her children, Elsie Otter, 10, and Charlie Wolf, 10, love going on vacation. (Deschanel shares Elsie and Charlie with her ex-husband Jacob Pechenik.)
“The cats were actually so happy, and my kids were like, ‘A cat’s vacation is the best vacation ever!'” she recalled. “They love having cats there.”
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The cats also provided emotional support when Deschanel and her children evacuated their home during the Los Angeles fires earlier this year. “We were all stuck in a tiny hotel room and the cats were so adorable and sweet. They snuggled up to each other every night,” she said. “They crawl on me. My little white guy will come up and purr really loud, like under my chin, to keep me awake. It’s very sweet.”
Snuggling with the family pets is just one of the many things Deschanel loves to do with her kids — especially during the Christmas season.
“One of my Favorite part of the holidays (yes) Listen to Christmas music, sing Christmas music, sing with a group,” the “Her and Him” singer said us. “It’s really fun and a great way to connect with people. I did a lot of baking cookies, decorating cookies growing up. I love doing that with my kids. It’s really fun.”
Merv Now available to stream on Prime Video.
