Zach Braff says ex-Florence Pugh inspired his new film

Zach Braff’s latest movie ‘A Good Person’ stars his ex-girlfriend Florence Pugh, and the actor-turned-director recently praised her acting talent and opened up about how the actress inspired the new movie.

The couple dated from 2019 to 2022, and frequently faced criticism for the 21-year age gap between the two. They began dating when Pugh was 23 and Braff 44.

A role written just for Pugh

“I’m just in awe of her talent and I said, ‘I wanna write this for Florence. What I’m writing is really gonna be challenging, and she’s incredible,’” Braff said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.

“It wasn’t for your average actors – I couldn’t have written the part for myself. I wanted to write something for her and I had this image in my mind of that diner booth scene and I thought of Florence Pugh opposite some legend that everyone’s talking about,” he added.

Braff says no awkwardness between the two

In another interview with The Independent, Braff was asked whether it was awkward for the two to be promoting the movie together. He reiterated that despite the fact that they are no longer together, they are proud of the movie.

“We’re both really proud of the movie,” he began, “We both want everyone to see it, so we’re both promoting it and doing everything we can to get it out there.”

The two were later photographed posing for pictures together at the movie’s premiere on Monday at New York’s Metrograph Theater.

Braff previously directed Pugh in the short film, ‘In the Time it Takes to Get There’ in 2019 which also starred Alicia Silverstone. The film stars Pugh who plays 19th-century influencer Lucille, with Silverstone as her publicist, Eliza. The 11-minute short film was created after Braff hosted a movie poster contest for college students, with the winning design by Sam West inspiring the film.

What is ‘A Good Person’ about?

In the movie, Pugh plays Allison, a woman who is thriving in life, alongside acting legend Morgan Freeman who plays Daniel. In the movie, the two characters form an unlikely friendship after Allison is involved in a tragedy that throws her life apart.

Braff has explained that the events in the movie were inspired by losing many important people in his life, including his sister, father, and close friend.

“I wanted to write about grief and the daunting task of trying to stand back up again after loss,” Braff told Entertainment Tonight.

The film will be released in theaters on Friday, March 24, 2023.