Zach Braff: Florence Pugh Memorized Drew's Fight Moves from "Charlie's Angels" | Drew Barrymore Show

We're old friends and we haven't seen each other in a while. We saw each other, it was with you and your dear friend Donald, and I put on these scrub onesies. Yeah, this onesie, because we do a rewatch podcast of scrubs. Which is very popular, a hit, a huge hit in the podcast world. It's a huge hit all over the world, and so we made, as a joke, we made these onesies and you put one on, it was amazing. Yeah, I come to play, and yeah, we have known each other for decades? Yeah, a long time. A long time. I watched your film, whoa, whoa. I think that means thank you. This is award level, this is the real deal, this is an extraordinarily beautiful, crafted, acted, directed, shot, holy cow. Oh, thank you so much. Oh my God. Thank you so much. Oh my God. By the way, it's called A Good Person, 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, loss, 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 because 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 out of 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 have that, you can let the steam out of the engine. So I thought, I want to design the movie like that. The movie is going to be about grief and addiction and standing up after trauma, but I'm not going to 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 to 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 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, I think that should be just, her name should change to the great Florence Pugh. But how about her performance in this movie, 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 movie stars and they just, 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 because Morgan is a gruff, tough guy and he can be intimidating and I love him to death, but he's Morgan Freeman. And so I think because we've 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. And the two of them, I really felt that this was an incredible, emotionally compelling melting pot of the human experience. 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 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 out of the movie completely out of order? You chopping off your hair is just not, we don't want to 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, she felt the character would do that. And it's really powerful and 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. Oh my God. She's so hot. 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 to say, this is what I like. This is who I am. No, I don't accept that from you. 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 because I care so much. How do I get some of Florence Pugh's strength? I think she has incredible parents just 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 you can sing like an angel too. And she, and the songs that are in the movie, she actually wrote herself. She, of course she did. Why wouldn't she? She's a Renaissance woman. Nice to know the origin story is her family. She wanted me to tell you that she loves Charlie's Angels so much and that when she was young, she would imitate all your fight scene. She would like learn your action sequences. Yeah, I said, 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. Will you please text her back and tell her that I believe her name should be officially changed to the great Florence Pugh. 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 back that. 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? Yes. Because we are in pain and we need more. They're not going to give you more, Allie. They have to. No, they don't. I need them. Obvious 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? Well, we have to go to a commercial break, but the good news is we'll be right back with you. Come on.