Zach Braff hopes Scrubs guest star Brendan Fraser wins all the awards: 'You couldn't meet a nicer person'

It's been almost 19 years since they worked together on Scrubs, but Zach Braff only has fond memories of his time with Brendan Fraser.

"I got goosebumps when you asked me about him. I have such a warm place in my heart for that man. I loved spending time with him," Braff tells EW while promoting his upcoming film, A Good Person.

Fans of the long-running medical sitcom will recall that Fraser had a memorable (and ultimately devastating) guest starring arc on the show in its first and third seasons as Ben Sullivan, a leukemia patient and brother of Jordan (Christa Miller) and Danni (Tara Reid). In the decades since Fraser's heartbreaking final episode aired in 2004, Braff says Fraser's turn on the show is still one that often gets mentioned to him.

"I think his episode arc of Scrubs is probably the most talked about in nine seasons of the show. People loved his character, people root for him. They just love the man and they love the actor," he says.

Carin Baer/NBCU Zach Braff,

Braff, who most recently wrote and directed A Good Person starring Florence Pugh, Morgan Freeman, and Molly Shannon (out March 24, 2023), credits his time with Fraser as the reason he got into one of his passionate side projects: shooting with pro Polaroid film.

"They don't even make it anymore which is so frustrating, but it's like a six-by-seven Polaroid, which is not the consumer one we're all used to that comes out the front, it's the one you've seen professionals pull out and then they wait for it to dry to peel it off," Braff explains, adding that Fraser, as an avid photographer, would come to set and use cameras that were utilizing that type of film.

Braff says series creator Bill Lawrence wrote Fraser's passion into the character of Ben, and Braff was likewise a convert from then on. "That sort of pro Polaroid photography became a big part of my life. It's something that I would shoot like crazy until they recently discontinued that sort of film, which is a sad thing. But Brendan has remained in my life all these years because I have nine zillion Polaroid pictures that I took just because of him."

For his part, Fraser is in the middle of a much-publicized career resurgence, with his turn in Darren Aronofsky's film The Whale garnering Oscars buzz, and Braff says he couldn't be happier for his former costar. Says Braff, "I'm just so happy for him. You honestly couldn't meet a nicer person. He's just the sweetest. I haven't even seen all the movies [this year], but I hope he wins."

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