In 2012, Zooey Deschanel told Marie Claire that kids ridiculed her being “chubby” and recalled the time a classmate spat in her face. “I really don’t know why she spit at me. I just talked to her. I guess I wasn’t allowed to talk to her. I remember I couldn’t believe it,” She elaborated. Deschanel later elaborated on the experience, telling Marie Claire in another interview that she “honestly did nothing” to deserve it and that the moment made her feel “so humiliated.”
She also revealed she saw her bully in photos years later, admitting she’s forgiven her but will never forget what she did.
In 2014, Deschanel told InStyle the moment was “the ultimate low rock bottom.” She explained (per NZ Herald), “Someone spitting in your face while you are on your way to your locker. Having to fight through those years makes you ready for the future. I can snap back, I can make fun of myself before they do — I can do all of it. There’s no way I can ever be as sensitive as I used to be, and it’s sad to lose any sensitivity because it generally makes people very good at art.”