"I think it's better to have your personal life and your work life separate. That way they don't corrupt each other, so to speak"

In this quote, Zooey Deschanel is revealing her belief that it is helpful to keep one's individual life and work life different. By doing so, she believes that they will not negatively affect or "corrupt" each other. This might imply that personal problems or drama will not impact one's performance at work, and vice versa. It might likewise suggest that maintaining a clear limit between the 2 allows for a healthy balance and avoids one from ending up being consumed by either element. Overall, Deschanel is advocating for the value of keeping a healthy separation in between individual and expert life.