Megan Fox to Rent Zooey Deschanel’s ‘New Girl’ Room During Maternity Break

The 'Transformers' actress is moving into the loft while Deschanel's Jess dips off camera for a few episodes.Megan Fox  AP Images

The 'Transformers' actress is moving into the loft while Deschanel's Jess dips off camera for a few episodes.

Zooey Deschanel, who recently gave birth to her first child, will be sitting out a few episodes of Fox's New Girl when it resumes filming in a few weeks — but the comedy won't be for want of a female presence in the loft. The Hollywood Reporter confirms that Megan Fox has booked a recurring part on the upcoming fifth season.

The Transformers actress, who got her start on ABC sitcom Hope & Faith, will appear in multiple episodes as pharmaceutical sales rep who rents out Jess' (Deschanel) room during a long business trip. She'll make her debut in the sixth episode.

As for Deschanel, she'll be off camera for four episodes of the upcoming season — with the writers accommodating her absence by writing Jess into a sequestered jury. "The idea behind it was to be able to do those pastel courtroom sketches, so you could still see her in the jury," creator Liz Meriwether told THR at the end of last season. "It's a little weird, but we're having fun with it. It's a way to have all of the guys check in with her. They watch the news reports on the trial."

New Girl production actually lingered after the end of the fourth season, with the first four episodes of the upcoming run already in the can. Fox is holding the show for midseason, where it plans to air all episodes without interruption starting in January.

Fox, whose next theatrical appearance will be in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2, is repped by ICM.

New Girl

Michael O'Connell