Hannah Simone Is in Her Place

Hannah Simone, the hot brunette who plays Cece in New Girl, was the latest subject for the collaborative effort between Esquire and the mystery photographer (Michael Edwards) for Me in My Place.

About Hannah: Here’s a sentence you probably weren’t expecting after seeing this photo: Thirty-one-year-old London native Hannah Simone worked for the United Nations. Then she went back to school, got a second degree, and — as you’d expect — became a VJ. “I got a job as a human rights and refugees officer, working on youth-based projects,” she explains. “But I realized all the kids I was working with were far more into The Daily Show than the policy briefings. I figured, I’ve got to learn how to speak your language.” She went on to host a couple of Canadian TV shows before moving to Los Angeles, where she was quickly cast alongside Zooey Deschanel in New Girl. Ban Ki-moon must be proud.

On being a host for a home and garden show: I also had a hosting position on a home and garden television show — which is a joke if you ever see my apartment. My dad says it looks like I just got robbed. There’s like a couch, a coffee table, some cardboard boxes, and a T.V. So I was like, “Oh no, I can’t host the show, this is ridiculous.”

On lying to get the job: But I went to the audition with the intention of being a very honest woman and saying, “Look, thank you very much, but I’m not a host. I’m not interested in hosting. I just want to do theater, so thank you.” Before I could open my mouth, they said, “Just so you know, every episode shoots in a different city around the world, so tell us what you know about design.” And I guess this is the point where my acting skills kicked in because I said, “Well, you know, my father’s an architect so I really grew up in that world of …” I don’t even know what bull came out of my mouth, but it was wonderful. I got that job, I got to travel around the world for two years while I got my degree.

On her degrees: I had two different degrees: One in International Relations/Political Science and another degree in Radio and Television Production.

Hannah must hate having two degrees just to have people yell at her, “Show us your tits!” It’s like me with my two degrees in physics and math. All they want me to do is flex for them. But I’m not just sexy, charming and funny, I also have brains, dammit!