A Good Person could be her most personal yet. The story follows Allison, a young woman whose life turns upside-down after a terrible car crash, and she becomes addicted to opioids. She’s on a journey of recovery, but she must battle grief before she stands a chance of moving forward.
In a report from Variety, Pugh explained the movie written, directed, and produced by Scrubs star and ex-boyfriend Zach Braff and what drew her to the role. The role was dedicated to Pugh, and she saw the opportunity as a wonderful gift.
“It’s no secret that I only pick very intense roles. This isn’t the first time I’ve been reduced to tears pretty much every single scene that I’ve been in. I like finding the ugliness in humans. I love being raw. I love being given a script where it challenges myself, and I have never picked a role unless I’ve been scared of it. And this is someone that knew me, knew my potential, and wanted to work with me. I think it would have been strange if he wrote a Nancy Meyers thing for me to be like, ‘So… you’re not going to cry in this movie.’ I’d be like, ‘Oh God!'”
Braff wrote the screenplay during the COVID-19 lockdown and had Pugh specifically in mind for the role. He was still processing his own grief over the deaths of his sister and his father in 2018, and his friend and Broadway actor Nick Cordero who died from COVID complications.
Pugh and Braff were in a relationship while he was working on the script, but she wasn’t allowed to read any of it. He would discuss it over dinner with her, and Pugh said of the script that he captured her quirks and how her character finds humor in despair. Pugh is also a producer on the film, which gives her another layer of ownership of the role along with being an inspiration.
Braff commended Pugh’s acting ability, comparing working with her to working with the most incredible violinist in the world. He wanted to write something incredible and complex because he knew they could do it. He said the role was very taxing and exhausting, and that the heavy subject matter took its toll on Pugh, and she felt like she was in a Nancy Meyers movie.
The movie also stars Morgan Freeman as Daniel, Allison’s would-be father-in-law who helps her find her path, and the movie was shot in Braff’s hometown of New Jersey in just 26 days. Pugh would wind down after stressful days by cooking for the cast and crew. Braff worried about her, but she found the act of cooking relaxing and meditative.
A Good Person comes to theaters Friday, March 31, 2023.
Published: Mar 9, 2023 10:04 am