Zooey Deschanel: Actress, Chanteuse, Anti-Teen Idol

June 12, 2008 -- With a history of singing songs from the 1890s, taking cues from Alfred Hitchcock and being born into a showbiz family, Zooey Deschanel swings into theaters this weekend in M. Night Shyamalan's "The Happening," along with Mark Wahlberg and John Leguizamo. In addition to her work in the indie feature "The Go-Getter" and singing in the two-piece band "She & Him," Deschanel took the time to sit down with "Popcorn with Peter Travers" to talk it out.

"The Happening" marks Deschanel's first collaboration with director Shyamalan. She plays the female lead, Alma Moore, the wife of Mark Wahlberg's character. In the film a mysterious toxin is released, forcing those exposed into a suicidal frenzy.

Of Shyamalan, Deschanel says, "I was interested in working with him because he has such an incredible visual sense and I noticed that in all of his films. Each one looks really different and they all serve the story really well. I was just interested to see how I fit into that landscape."

"The Happening" was shot almost entirely on location in Pennsylvania. Deschanel described the positive tension involved in shooting with Shyamalan. "There's a lot of pressure," she said. "It's one of the things that I loved about watching his other movies, but it's definitely difficult to do as an actor because you're not just relying on 'oh, they'll just use a piece of this.' You have to hit it right every time until it's done."

Actress by Day, Rock Star by Night

Since her appearance in Lawrence Kasdan's "Mumford" when she was 20, Deschanel has managed to make a name for herself in indie films, picking up roles in larger budget films like "Elf" and "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" along the way. In 2007, she starred in Martin Hynes' film "The Go-Getter," where she met her musical collaborator, M. Ward. Deschanel and Ward went on to form the group "She & Him," whose album "Volume One" was released in March. The album peaked at No. 71 on the Billboard 200.