Zach Braff has recently addressed negative comments about 2004’s Garden State 20 years after its release.
In a new interview with The Independent, the Scrubs alum responded to the criticisms about the movie which was written as well as directed by Braff and featured Natalie Portman as Sam.
At the time, movie critic Nathan Rabin called Portman’s character as the original Manic Pixie Dream Girl, which “describes a female love interest with no discernible inner life but for some reason a desperate need to make sad leading men feel better about themselves”.
Braff explained, “I was just copying Diane Keaton in Annie Hall and Ruth Gordon in Harold and Maude.”
“Those were my two favourite movies growing up, and I was kind of taking those two female protagonists and melding them into Natalie Portman,” stated the 47-year-old.
He continued, “Of course I've heard and respect the criticism, but… I was a very depressed young man who had this fantasy of a dream girl coming along and saving me from myself.”
“And so I wrote that character,” mentioned Braff.
Braff also reflected on the process of writing the 2004 movie, saying, “I wasn't as extreme as my character Andy, but I was certainly battling my own demons.”
“As I was writing it, I was hoping I could survive what became known as the quarter-life crisis, and depression, and fantasising that the perfect woman would come along and rescue me,” remarked the actor.
The writer commented, “I just feel lucky that I get to make stuff. I can’t really dwell on it.”
However, he added, “Your skin gets tougher after many years of filmmaking.”
Meanwhile, Braff’s new movie A Good Person is slated to release in theatres on March 24.