HGTV's Jonathan Scott Loves This Classic Zooey Deschanel Movie More Than Her Kids

One of the many Christmas movies you don't want to skip any holiday season is 2003's "Elf," starring Will Ferrell as the always-cheery Buddy the Elf. The film also stars Zooey Deschanel as Buddy's love interest, Jovie. Deschanel spoke with People for the 20th anniversary of the modern holiday classic, and she admitted that Jonathan Scott, her fiancé, is more of a fan of "Elf" than her children Elsie and Charlie.

"My kids saw it once but they still mainly only watch animated movies so haven't quite connected with it yet," Deschanel said. "But maybe this year!" She also talked about the positive experience she had filming the movie and how she enjoyed seeing some of the cast again at a live-streamed script reading fundraiser in 2020. Although Jon Favreau's sequel to "Elf" never happened, Deschanel told People she would participate if it came to pass.

In the interview, Deschanel also expressed how much she and Scott love the holiday season. "We are big Christmas fans! But singing Christmas carols is my absolute favorite thing to do."

Jonathan Scott has not shied away from sharing his love of "Elf." When he and his brother and "Property Brothers" co-star Drew Scott were interviewed by Jimmy Fallon on "The Tonight Show" in November 2023, Fallon questioned if Jonathan liked "Elf" and if Zooey Deschanel found that strange. Jonathan then joked: "Well, it weirds her out because I make her dress up like Jovie. Blond wig and everything."

Drew joined in on the fun and quipped that Jonathan tries to recreate the "Baby, It's Cold Outside" scene from "Elf" at home, prompting Jonathan to reenact how that would go down — ending his scene with an impression of Deschanel telling him to, "'Shut up, Jonathan!'"

Jonathan then explained that Deschanel doesn't watch "Elf" because she doesn't enjoy watching her own acting performances, but that he watches the film with Deschanel's children. Drew couldn't resist razzing his brother once more and added, "If she knew how much Jonathan was obsessed with that show before meeting her, she probably would have had a restraining order against him."

Jonathan Scott and Zooey Deschanel are quite active on social media and often appear in each others' posts. For example, in August 2023 Scott shared a relatable relationship woe he and Deschanel have in an Instagram reel, poking fun at their drastic height difference.

The couple also collaborated on a video referencing another one of Deschanel's popular films, "500 Days of Summer," which was released six years after "Elf." The original scene that Scott and Deschanel parodied shows the characters Summer and Tom (played by Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt) meeting in an elevator and connecting over their love of the band The Smiths. In August 2021, Deschanel created a TikTok meant to be duetted by anyone who wanted their chance to play Tom in a similar scene.

When Scott duetted Deschanel's video that October, he embodied Tom by also wearing headphones and listening to The Smiths. However, when asked "What floor?" by Deschanel, Scott replied, "Um, oak, I think?" (via TikTok). After a little more awkward small talk about floors, Deschanel exited the (fake) elevator and the skit ended. It's likely that Scott will continue being a vocal fan of Deschanel's work, and perhaps the couple will reenact more of her scenes in the future.