- We're old friends
and we haven't seen each other in a while.
(Zach laughing) (audience cheers and applauds)
- The last time we saw each other was with you
and your dear friend Donald.
- [Zach Braff] Yeah.
- And I put on
these scrub onesies. - Yeah, this onesie.
'Cause we do a re-watch podcast of "Scrubs."
- Which is very popular. - Yeah.
- Like a hit.
- Yeah. - A huge huge hit
in the podcast world.
Huge. - It's a huge hit
all over the world and so we made, as a joke,
we made these like onesies and you put one on.
- Oh yeah. - It was amazing.
- Yeah, I come to play.
And yeah, we have known each other for decades?
- Yeah. - At this point?
- A long time, yeah. - A long time.
I watched your film.
- Yeah.
- Whoa.
Whoa.
- I think that means, thank you? (laughs)
- This is award level.
This is the real deal. - Thank you.
- This is an extraordinarily beautiful,
crafted, acted, directed, shot,
holy cow. - Oh, thank you so much, Drew.
- Oh my God. - Thank you so much.
- Oh my God. (audience applauds)
- [Zach Braff] Thank you.
- Chills while I'm talking about it.
- Thank you.
- Are you getting, by the way, it's called "A Good Person."
- [Zach Braff] Yeah.
- Which it will make you think so many things.
It will make you feel so many things.
Including, I mean let's just start with being alive.
- Yeah.
- [Drew] Loss.
- Yeah.
- And how we deal with that.
- I went through a lot of loss in the last four years.
I lost my sister to an aneurysm, I lost my father to cancer.
And then during Covid,
one of my best friends got Covid and died.
It was well publicized
'cause he was a beloved Broadway actor named Nick Cordero.
And he was living in my guest house when he got it
and when he went to the hospital.
So when I sat down in the pandemic in the lockdown
to finally write something,
this is kind of what came outta me.
I wanted to write about standing back up
after loss and trauma.
But in my experience with some of these things
and I'm sure, I hope a lot of people can relate,
when there is a release,
when there is a moment someone says something funny,
you're just so happy
that you can let the steam out of the engine.
So I thought, I wanna design the movie like that.
The movie is gonna be about grief and addiction
and standing up after trauma.
But I'm not gonna make it too maudlin.
I want there to be humor in it.
I want there to be a release.
Because that's how I personally experienced this stuff.
I have a memory of my family being in the ICU waiting room,
just waiting see what was happening with my sister
and my father said something that was just mildly funny.
It wasn't even that funny.
But we all just started belly laughing
with tears coming out of our eyes because you know,
the human mind and body want that release.
They crave that release.
So that was sort of like what was in my mind
while I was writing.
- I mean watching this film and what she's going through,
the great Florence Pugh. - Yeah, she's incredible.
- I think that should be just her name should change
to The Great - How 'bout her performance
in this movie? - Florence Pugh.
- It's just unbelievable.
She's very special. - Why is she so
leap off of wherever she is
and like straight into our hearts and minds?
Why are we all so obsessed with her?
- There's just a magic, I mean, it's the old school thing
of old school movie stars where they had a magic.
Obviously she's beautiful.
Obviously she's an incredible actress.
But she has that magical thing, obviously you have it too.
These people that go to the next level
and are are movie stars.
And you can't take your eyes off of them.
- You cannot take your eyes
off of them. - And this performance
from her, I mean even though she's done so much
incredible work, even I who know her well,
I was just, my jaw was on the floor
with her performance in this film.
And Morgan Freeman also, I must say,
because I had directed him before in a comedy
I had the comfort level with him
and he trusted me to really push him.
'Cause Morgan is a gruff tough guy
and he can be intimidating and I love him to death,
but he's Morgan Freeman. (audience laughs)
And so I think because we had made a comedy together
he really trusted me and let me push him.
And I think this is one of the finest performances
he's given in a long time.
- I agree. (audience applauds)
And the two of them together.
And I really felt that this was an incredible
emotionally compelling melting pot of the human experience.
- Thank you. - That is the film you made,
the story you wanted to tell.
And when you were writing it, were you like writing it
for and with Florence also tailoring it to her?
- Yeah, well we were a couple at the time
and we were in lockdown together.
So I really wanted to write for her.
And it was great because I would go down and write every day
and then we'd come up and have dinner and talk about it.
I wouldn't let her read it, but we would chat about it
and I'd say, "you know, today I kind of discovered
that this, what do you think about that?
And I was thinking that maybe she does this."
And it really became,
we kind of were
developing it together. - Yeah.
Each other's music. - Yes.
We truly were.
And she had this idea where she said
"I think the character would be great if when we find her
after there's a time jump if we find her
and she's chopping off all her hair."
And I said, "that's a great idea."
But logistically we shot the movie in 26 days.
I said, "logistically that's impossible."
And she said, "you'll figure it out."
And I said, "I talked to everyone Florence, you know
should we shoot the movie completely out of order,
you chopping off your hair is just not,
we don't wanna use wigs, they don't look real."
And she said, "you'll figure it out."
So we eventually figured it out and it really,
you know, that's just an example of something
that just came out of her, that was her idea.
She felt the character would do that.
And it's really powerful in the film.
She's legitimately really cutting her hair off.
- And I love her look in the movie too
because it's different than her, you know
fashionista red carpet persona, which is so on point.
- Yeah, she really, well you guys know that stuff.
I don't know.
She's so into fashion
like you're into fashion. - Oh my god, she's so hot.
(Zach laughing) It's like, it's confusing.
She confuses me to no end because she's so talented
and has so much moxie.
She also has so much bravado
to be who she is. - Absolutely.
- To say, "this is what I like, this is who I am.
No, I don't accept that from you."
- Yeah, she's an incredible role model.
- Where does she get that from?
Because I am the opposite.
I'm like a people pleasing doormat, in the best way,
'cause I care so much.
How do I get some of Florence Pugh's strength?
- I think she has incredible parents that raised
all of their children to be like renaissance kids.
They all play music.
You know, Florence sings songs.
- Incredible musician.
Of course, I was like,
"of course, of course she can sing like an angel too."
- And the songs that are in the movie
she actually wrote herself.
- Of course she did. (Zach laughing)
Why wouldn't she?
She's a Renaissance woman. - Yeah.
- Nice to know the origin story is her family.
You know?
- She wanted me to tell you that she loves
"Charlie's Angels" so much and that when she was young
she would imitate all of your fight scenes,
she would like learn your action sequences.
(all laughing)
(audience applauds) - [Drew] Really?
- Yeah, I just texted her before I came on.
I'm saying "I'm doing Drew's show."
She goes, "oh my God, will you please tell her
that I was obsessed with "Charlie's Angels"
and I know like her fight choreography." (laughs)
- Will you please text her back and tell her
that I believe her name should be officially changed
to The Great Florence Pugh?
- [Zach Braff] I shall tell her, yes.
- Okay, that's an exchange I can go to sleep happy with.
All right, well we have a clip here actually.
Take a look at the great Florence Pugh and Zach Braff.
- Hey Mama, can you tell me where my pills are?
- Which ones?
We said we were going to wean off of them, remember?
- Did we?
- [Diane] Yes.
- Because we are in pain.
And we need more.
- They're not gonna give you more, Allie.
- They have to.
- No, they don't.
- I need them.
(audience applauds)
- What's so incredible too is how unobvious
and nuanced you make everything.
It took me a long time in the best way
to try to understand what's going on with everybody.
- Thank you.
- You know what?
We have to go to a commercial break
but the good news is we'll be right back.
Just come back.
(audience applauds) (upbeat music)
♪ Oh oh ♪