Florence Pugh Was Zach Braff’s ‘Muse’ For ‘A Good Person’: ‘It Was Just a Joy’

Any movie that stars actor Florence Pugh is a noteworthy event, but her latest film, A Good Person, is unique because of its connections to her personal life. It is written and directed by Zach Braff, who Pugh dated for two years. Working with your ex so soon after a breakup sounds like an awkward nightmare, but Pugh insists that making A Good Person was an enjoyable experience for her. 

Pugh’s relationship with Braff was controversial to many

Braff and Pugh’s relationship began sometime in 2019. In March of that year, the two worked on In the Time It Takes to Get There, a short film for Adobe. In the months following its release, they were spotted together multiple times and popped up on each other’s social media accounts. The couple became Instagram official in December when Braff posted a picture from a Disneyland trip with Pugh and some of their friends. 

Their romance became a divisive topic once it was out in the open due to the fact that Braff is 20 years older than Pugh. The latter repeatedly spoke out against the discourse surrounding the relationship and how much it frustrated her, but that did little to quiet the noise. In a cover story for Harper’s Bazaar last September, Pugh confirmed that she and Braff were no longer together. 

“We’ve been trying to do this separation without the world knowing because it’s been a relationship that everybody has an opinion on,” she said. “We just felt something like this would really do us the benefit of not having millions of people telling us how happy they are that we’re not together. So we’ve done that. I automatically get a lumpy throat when I talk about it.”

She had a great time making ‘A Good Person’ despite her split from its creator

Pugh appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to promote A Good Person and discussed what it was like to make a movie with a man she recently stopped dating. Contrary to what most people would believe, she insists there was no on-set tension between the two of them. (Pugh saved that for Molly Shannon.) In fact, their previous history made creating the movie a smoother process for both parties. 

“I was his muse. I think there [was] so much ease with reading a script when someone knows how you talk and how far they can push you and what you’re capable of doing,” Pugh said. “It was just a joy. It was so much fun.” How refreshing!

Braff has nothing but praise for Pugh

It’s easy to be cynical about anything actors say during a press tour, but Pugh and Braff do appear to be on great terms. They have been complimentary of each other at every opportunity and have had no qualms about taking pictures together at screenings of A Good Person. People also posted pictures of Braff going to dinner with Pugh’s parents and grandmother. 

They may not be dating anymore, but A Good Person could represent the start of an artistic partnership between the two filmmakers. During an interview on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, Braff stated that the two of them are really proud of the film and are interested in making more projects in the future. 

“We love each other. We get along really well. We want to keep working together. We want to make more movies together,” he said. “We share a dog together. We love each other. I’m just in awe of her talent.”