Zach Braff Previews His ‘Garden State’ 20th Anniversary Concert and Reveals the One Artist He Couldn’t Get on the Soundtrack
Zach Braff is getting the “Garden State” gang back together – at least the bands featured on the movie’s Grammy-winning soundtrack.
A one-night concert celebrating the 20th anniversary of “Garden State” – which Braff wrote, directed and starred in – will take place March 29, 2025, at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. On the bill are The Shins, Iron & Wine, Frou Frou, Colin Hay, Thievery Corporation, Remy Zero, Cary Brothers, Bonnie Somerville and Sophie Barker from Zero 7. Special guests will be announced at a later date.
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The evening will benefit The Midnight Mission, a homeless shelter and support organization for unhoused individuals in downtown Los Angeles.
“When I was first approached about doing a concert for the 20th anniversary, I was like, ‘I don’t know how we’re ever going to get all these bands together at the same time,’” Braff tells me. “But when the notion of doing it as a benefit for The Midnight Mission, I was all in. I was like if we can marshal all of these beautiful artists together for a cause that is helping such a prevalent dire situation in Los Angeles and give back to the community, that’s when I got off my couch. I was like, ‘How do we figure hat this out?’”
Here, Braff looks back at the making of “Garden State,” why he’ll never make a sequel and what his first meeting with co-star Natalie Portman was like. Plus, Braff weighs in on reports that a “Scrubs” revival is likely happening.
Can you believe it’s been 20 years?
I don’t feel any different until [my publicist] Danica sends me pictures of the premiere at Sundance, and I look like my own son.
What do you remember most about the first day you walked on set for “Garden State?”
I had asked my first AD to plan a day that would make me look like a hero, which is a good technique I recommend to first time filmmakers. You plan a day that’s very easily makeable so that your producers go, “Wow, he finished early today.” So I planned a very simple day. It was the scene where I go to the house party – not the whole ecstasy-taking party scene, but just entering the party, going into the kitchen. I think that’s all we did the first day. The second day was the whole ecstasy party scene. It was a whole day shooting that was really intense. It took a lot of time to get all those cool shots and I was very worried because I had no idea how to get — I was very green as a director — all these people to act like they’re on drugs at like 8 a.m. I was like, “Should I bring like, some beers or something?” But that wasn’t very very appropriate. I think we just got into it. Everyone just kind of went for it. There is a weird thing if everyone is just being a certain way, if everyone’s just creating this illusion, you start to sort of feel it in the room. That’s kind of what happened.
Do you remember the day you found out that Natalie said she would do the movie?
I met her at a newsroom Cafe on Robertson.
I remember that place well. When you had no money, you’d go there and read the magazines.
Yes, you’d read the magazines and stare across the street at the people at The Ivy. Natalie was at Harvard at the time, but she was in town with a friend. I knew she liked the script so she met with me. I was so nervous. She sat down. We instantly just clicked because we were both theater geeks and we both went to [performing arts summer camp] Stagedoor Manor, and we just started talking about loving theater. But then I knew that she was driving across country with her friend back to Harvard. I was like, “Oh, no. I’m going to have to sit here on pins and needles for like a week while they drive across country to find out from [Portman’s agent] Kevin Huvane If she said yes. And literally, I think that day, she called her people and was like, she loves it. She loves Zach. She’s in and I was like, “oh my god, I can’t believe it.” And then we were off to the races.
Did you know right away you’d have that chemistry on film? It’s one thing to have it at the Newsroom Café but it’s another thing to see and feel it on screen.
I was very nervous because I was so enamored with her. I just think she’s just one of the best actresses in the world, and she’s so beautiful. I was definitely intimidated. But she alleviated all of that. She could not have been kinder. She had been working on these enormous movies, and she knew that we had no money. She knew that we were shooting it in 25 days. She knew that my producer, a young Pam Abdy, was going to be sleeping on her parents couch, to save money. But she could not have been more into it. She loved it. We had so much fun.
Do you remember how much you paid her?
I’m sure it was nothing. I’m sure it was SAG scale.
Have you ever thought about a sequel?
No. I think it has such a special place in in people’s hearts that I never wanted to touch it. I just wanted to leave it as it is. I’ve been approached to do anything and everything with it but I’ve always said no.
What’s the wildest pitch you’ve gotten?
A Broadway musical.
Why don’t you do that?
I don’t know. I’m very precious about it. I feel like it was one of the highlights of my whole career. I don’t want to do anything that would that would fuck it up in people’s memory of it. Not a day goes by when people don’t tell me, either online or in real life or at the coffee shop how much it meant to them. I just don’t want to cheapen it in any way.
Will Natalie be at the concert?
Everyone from the cast, from Jean Smart to Peter Skarsgaard to Natalie, all know about it. They all love it. It’s five months out so it’s work dependent. Natalie has said if she can figure out the schedule, she’ll be there. But we’re going to have a lot of special guests too because there’s two songs in particular we want to include. But Paul Simon’s not performing currently and Nick Drake is no longer with us. So between my connections and [musician and soundtrack artist] Cary Brothers’ connections, we’re going to have some really, holy-shit surprise guests that are going to be covering their songs.
Is there someone you wanted for the soundtrack but it didn’t work out in the end?
The only one was Fiona Apple and her song “Paper Bag.” I’m just a massive Fiona Apple fan. I love Fiona, but to be honest I think that her manager was just very tough. No matter what angle we tried with him, he just wouldn’t cave.
Why aren’t you having the concert in New Jersey?
I love New Jersey but I think what’s just on my mind is that famous expression, “Think globally, act locally.” I live in Los Angeles. I’m very aware, as anyone who drives around the city of the crisis related to people living on the street and the unhoused. I’ve gone down to Skid Row to see the Midnight Mission and tour it. It’s incredible. It’s so impacted me. Anyone who’s driven down Skid Row and then, conversely, seen what the Midnight Mission is doing and how they are day in and day out, helping people get off drugs, get the mental health they need, giving them a bed, giving them three meals a day, we know they’re fucking saints. They’re angels and I was just motivated to do whatever I could to raise money for them. Maybe, if it’s a giant success, we’ll do one in New Jersey. But right now, I live in Los Angeles, and I’m very upset by what I see on the streets.
I have an idea – bring the concert to New York, do it in a Broadway theater and then we can say “Garden State” is on Broadway.
I am all for this fantasy that we raise so much money for charity, and the bands are down, that we’re like, “Let’s take this show on the road.”
Where do you keep your Grammy?
On my mantle, where a Grammy’s supposed to go [Laughs]. I also won the Independent Spirit Award for best first feature so I keep them next to each other on my mantle.
I have to ask you about Bill Lawrence recently saying you’re getting closer to a “Scrubs” revival.
Bill Lawrence is going press every other week because he’s got so many hit shows so you if you look at his statements, they get more and more definitive. I’m not speaking at a school when I say it’s a business thing. He’s got a Warner Bros. deal but “Scrubs” is a Disney show. I know for a fact they’re negotiating to figure out how that would work. I think once that’s figured out, it’s very likely it will happen.
And you’re on board?
Definitely. The idea of getting back together with my friends and doing like 10 or 12 episodes of maybe one or two seasons, and just laughing with everyone? That sounds like a dream.
The “Garden State” concert is executive produced by Cocolittle Media founder Laura Glass. Sponsors include T-Mobile. Tickets can be purchased at lagreektheatre.com.
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