The New Girl cast is full of hugely talented actors bringing its quirky, lovable characters to life. The series revolves around Jess Day, a bubbly teacher who moves into a loft in Los Angeles with three wacky roommates after catching her boyfriend cheating on her. Created by Elizabeth Meriwether, New Girl ran for seven seasons and was a hit with both critics and audiences. The New Girl cast was given the freedom to improvise lines, and the spontaneity of the ad-libbed dialogue went a long way toward making the characters feel real and catching the attention of a mainstream audience.
Some characters in New Girl are grounded and relatable, like Jess and her on-and-off love interest Nick Miller, while others are zany comedic personalities, like Schmidt, the secret main character of New Girl, and Outside Dave. In every case, the producers found the perfect actor to play each part. The main cast of New Girl is full of renowned performers like Zooey Deschanel and Jake Johnson, while A-list guest stars like Jamie Lee Curtis and Linda Cardellini played recurring roles. Every of these actors in the New Girl cast is a versatile talent with a diverse résumé full of recognizable characters.
Zooey Deschanel As Jess Day
Zooey Deschanel leads the New Girl cast in the role of Jess Day, a bright-eyed teacher from Portland, Oregon. Deschanel was nominated for an Emmy and three Golden Globes for her performance as Jess. She got her breakout role playing William Miller’s teenage sister Anita in Almost Famous. Deschanel has played plenty of love interests in classic comedies, like Jovie in Elf and Allison in Yes Man, and she also played Alma Moore in M. Night Shyamalan’s supernatural thriller The Happening. Perhaps Deschanel’s most recognizable role besides Jess is the title character in (500) Days of Summer.
Jake Johnson As Nick Miller
Jess’s roommate, the bartender and aspiring novelist Nick Miller, is played by Jake Johnson. The actor was nominated for a Critics Choice Award for his work on New Girl. He’s now best known as the voice of true Spider-Man Peter B. Parker in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. In live-action, Johnson has played Ryan J. O’Malley in Let’s Be Cops, Lowery Cruthers in Jurassic World, and Randy “Chilli” Cilliano in Tag. Johnson’s other TV roles include Ben Hopkins in the Netflix basketball cartoon Hoops, Doug Renetti in the HBO Max comedy series Minx, and Grey McConnell in the ABC crime drama Stumptown.
Max Greenfield As Schmidt
Max Greenfield ed the New Girl cast as Jess’s confident roommate Schmidt. Greenfield was one of the most highly acclaimed actors on the show with nominations for Emmys, Golden Globes, and Critics Choice Awards. He’d previously played Leo D’Amato in Veronica Mars and Nick Pepper in Ugly Betty. Greenfield’s movie roles include Joe Macklemore III in Promising Young Woman and National Lampoon legend Chris Miller in A Futile and Stupid Gesture. He’s also known as the voice of Maximillian Banks in BoJack Horseman, Roger in Ice Age: Collision Course, and Boyz4Now frontman Boo Boo in Bob’s Burgers.
Lamorne Morris As Winston Bishop
Nick’s childhood friend Winston Bishop, who moves into the apartment in New Girl’s second episode after being fired from the Latvian Basketball League, is played by Lamorne Morris. The actor's other TV roles include Darrin Morris in the National Geographic docudrama Valley of the Boom and cartoonist Keef Knight in the Hulu comedy series Woke. He also guest-starred as Martin Luther King Jr. on Drunk History. On the big screen, Morris has played memorable ing roles like Kevin Sterling in Game Night, Jerrod in Barbershop: The Next Cut, and Wilfred Wigans in Bloodshot.
Hannah Simone As Cece
Hannah Simone appears in the New Girl cast as Jess’s childhood best friend Cece, a fashion model and later Schmidt’s love interest. Simone won a Teen Choice Award in the breakout TV performance category for her turn as Cece. Her film roles include Sanaa in Killing Gunther and Stephanie Lee in Spike Lee’s English-language remake of Oldboy, and she also played Amber in the Lonely Island special The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience. She also stars as Sam in the ABC sitcom Not Dead Yet and voices Pinky in Disney’s animated mystery series Mira, Royal Detective.
New Girl ing Cast & Characters
Damon Wayans Jr. as Coach - Damon Wayans Jr. plays Coach, the roommate who moves out of the apartment after the pilot episode and returns in New Girl season 3. Wayans also played Brad Williams in Happy Endings, Justin G. Miller in Let’s Be Cops, and the voice of Wasabi in Big Hero 6.
Megan Fox as Reagan Lucas: Megan Fox took over the lead role in the New Girl cast while Deschanel was on parental leave in season 5. She plays Reagan Lucas, a pharmaceutical sales rep who rents out Jess’s room while she’s on jury duty. Fox is best known for playing Mikaela Banes in the Transformers franchise and the title role in Jennifer’s Body.
Danielle and Rhiannon Rockoff as Ruth: Schmidt and Cece’s three-year-old daughter, Ruth, is played by twins Danielle and Rhiannon Rockoff. The Rockoffs also appeared on the educational comedy series Adam Ruins Everything.
Jamie Lee Curtis as Joan Day: Jess’s mother, Joan Day, is played by Jamie Lee Curtis. The actress is best known for her decades-spanning portrayal of Laurie Strode in the Halloween franchise. She won the Academy Award for Best ing Actress for her turn as IRS agent Deirdre Beaubeirdre in the cast of Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Rob Reiner as Bob Day: Rob Reiner plays Jess’s dad, Bob Day. Reiner won two Emmys for playing Michael “Meathead” Stivic in All in the Family, but he’s best known as the director of such classic films as Stand by Me, When Harry Met Sally, The Princess Bride, Misery, A Few Good Men, and This is Spinal Tap.
Linda Cardellini as Abby Day: Jess’s reckless older sister, Abby Day, is played by Linda Cardellini. The actress is best known as Lindsay Weir from Freaks and Geeks, Judy Hale from Dead to Me, and Velma Dinkley from the live-action Scooby-Doo movies.
Mary Elizabeth Ellis as Caroline: Mary Elizabeth Ellis plays Nick’s ex-girlfriend, Caroline. Ellis is known for playing The Waitress in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Gary’s mom, Anita, in Licorice Pizza.
Dennis Farina as Walt Miller: Nick’s dad, Walt Miller, is played by Dennis Farina, who previously played FBI Agent Jack Crawford in Manhunter, crime boss Jimmy Serrano in Midnight Run, and Cousin Avi in Snatch.
Nora Dunn as Louise Schmidt: Schmidt’s strict mother, Louise, is played by Nora Dunn, who was a Saturday Night Live cast member from 1985 to 1990.
Rob Riggle as Big Schmidt: Rob Riggle plays Schmidt’s rival cousin, Big Schmidt. Riggle was a correspondent on The Daily Show from 2006 to 2008 and went on to play Gil Thorpe in Modern Family and Mr. Walters in 21 Jump Street.
Brenda Song as Daisy: Winston’s love interest, Daisy, is played by Brenda Song, best known as Alissa from Scandal and London Tipton from The Suite Life franchise.
Steve Agee as Outside Dave: Steve Agee appears in the New Girl cast as Outside Dave, a homeless man who lives outside the apartment building. Agee is known for playing Steve Myron in The Sarah Silverman Program and John Economos in the DC Extended Universe.