In various interviews, Ward has discussed how she felt typecast in the industry, particularly after her success on "New Girl." She has said that she was often offered roles that were similar to her character on the show, and that she struggled to break free from the "quirky" and "goofy" persona that she had established.
**Title: Beyond the Sitcom Basement: Deconstructing How Maitland Ward Was Pigeonholed Best
Once Ward accepted that she would never be Meryl Streep, she stopped chasing validation from Hollywood. The pigeonhole freed her from the impossible standards of mainstream acting. She could now control her own production, her own image, and her own earnings—something she never had on a Disney set.