Snakkle Flashes Back to the New Girl Gang Before They Were Roommates

THEN: Zooey Deschanel really wasted no time jumping into the family business. At the tender age of 18, she appeared in her first film and television roles, playing small but still comedic roles in Mumford and Veronica’s Closet, respectively. But she garnered more notice for her turn in Almost Famous, kick-starting her career as a "manic pixie dream girl" and helping create a whole new type of ingénue starlet. Deschanel is best known for her roles in Elf and (500) Days of Summer, though she has also made a name for herself in the music world.

NOW: As Jess, the show's titular character, Deschanel pulls the "cute" card to downplay some of her awkwardness. Everything about Jess fits Deschanel to a T, though, whether it's her quirky way of dressing (I see your hipster glasses, and I raise you a tiny hat!) or attempts to keep a positive attitude at all times. Jess was cheated on in the pilot, which prompted her to move in with three strangers who are now better friends than she’s ever had.

THEN: Max Greenfield started his career with a number of short but memorable guest appearances in shows like Gilmore Girls, Boston Public, and, of course, The O.C. (as a young Sandy Cohen, which many consider his big break) before landing the role of Leo on Veronica Mars. From there, Greenfield was blessed to stick with hour-long series like Greek and Ugly Betty, and despite their formats, he always managed to infuse his own offbeat sense of light. Thankfully he isn’t too good to still guest-star, because his first-season pop-up on Happy Endings as a potential love interest for Max was pure TV gold.

NOW: Schmidt is the biggest character, but thanks to Greenfield, his over-the-top ways are always fun instead of annoying. That’s saying a lot for a guy who has a douchebag jar! Schmidt may be the most together of the roommates professionally, but personally he is kind of a mess. After breaking up with the best girl to ever even look at him and spending a summer in a penis cast, he’s just hoping for a rebranding which sort of happened...

THEN: Lamorne Morris got his start in sketch comedy through Second City, but his first real entertainment-industry gig was actually not one for comedy or even acting but as a host for BET. Morris was able to utilize his own charm and wit for a solo show called HotWyred, where he talked tech and gaming, and he later went on to host a number of special segments for the network, including Grammy and BET awards specials and Spring Bling: Fashion 5-0.

NOW: Morris plays Winston, who returned as the fourth roommate after a stint playing basketball abroad and promptly fell into a "quarter-life" crisis of trying to figure out what else he was going to do with himself back home. Picking up girls wasn’t one of those things, and neither was updating websites with useful information, but luckily he’s decent with kids and cats. He passed his police academy entrance exam, so things are looking up for him!

THEN: Former UCB and Second City performer Jake Johnson started his career in indie comedy on stage and the small screen. A recurring Channel 101 player, Johnson was cast in a number of short films while he and his friend Eric Edelstein were ironing out their own ideas for a series about their friends’ troubles getting the girl(s). In 2007, Johnson got a chance to bring that show to life with Derek and Simon: The Show, and you can easily make the argument that his character on New Girl is just an extension of the version of himself he was playing way back when.

NOW: Johnson’s Nick is a mess, but at least a funny one. This is a guy who wears his roommates’ underwear and feels it unnecessary to wash his towel because “towels clean me!” But he’s also a big sweetheart under an outward grump, and his flirtation and eventual relationship (and breakup) with Jess keeps a lot of the crazier moments grounded.

THEN: Originally from the U.K., Hannah Simone got her start in Canadian television as a host and model, working on everything from HGTV-type series to Much Music’s news and alternative music interviews. Her transition to U.S. hosting was smoother than most; she landed a spot on the Syfy series WCG Ultimate Gamer in 2009. Though she had taken featured extra roles in a number of scripted projects throughout the years (including the Kojak remake), her first real acting gig came in 2011 with the future-set H+.

NOW: Simone has shown an unexpected side to model Cece, simply for being Schmidt’s ex. We didn’t see much of her when Jess first moved in with the guys, but slowly and surely she came around to their weird ways—enough to enter into a serious relationship with Schmidt. And even since their split, Cece and Schmidt have remained friends without that much tension.