How Zach Braff Got Natalie Portman To Star In “Garden State” | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

Zach Braff never thought Natalie Portman would agree to star in his first film, “Garden State.”
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Deeper, unboundedly playful, and free from FCC regulations, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend is a weekly opportunity for Conan to hang out with the people he enjoys most and perhaps find some real friendship along the way. Watch highlights of Conan, Sona Movsesian and Matt Gourley chatting with celebrities and meeting fans, along with special segments like “Review the Reviewers” and “Big Dick History.”
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[@tpop3723]

Garden State was one of the very few movies where the protagonist’s portrayal of grief after losing a parent really resonated with me. Well done Zach.

[@mbb9258]

Ah Garden State… I love how Braff talks about the journey of making it. So organic. So natural. Untainted by the world at that time. It really brings back that feeling of nostalgia and hope and “I can do anything creative if I set my mind to it” mentality of the early 2000s.

[@CDRaff]

It really did feel like all you needed was an Apple laptop and a quiet coffee house back then.

[@goldfishy]

@@CDRaff Is this still not the case?

[@justbaz7471]

@@goldfishy it’s harder for indie movies to succeed the way they did during that time. Sure the equipment may be easier to come by and to create a good looking film is far less expensive now than it was back then but, people used to give indie films a chance back then. If it’s not a blockbuster or a superhero film people simply aren’t going to pay money to watch it, which sucks.

[@yevgeniyaleshchenko849]

@@justbaz7471 No it's not because now there are so many platforms and media channels to promote those films and find an audience for them. People STILL want to see all kinds of movies not just big action flicks.

[@azengland100]

Garden State is one of my favorite movies of all time. And the sound track is perfect - I listen to it often...

[@rasmus9311]

Saved so many songs from that movie

[@jasonezzell6901]

Fully agree! My introduction to The Shins as well as Thievery Corporation.

[@Jacki79]

Saaame🙌

[@MichaelGustavson]

Reading this comment, immediately The Shins - New Slang started playing in my head

[@Ian-ky6di]

I definitely see Garden State as a very vulnerable movie. Maybe the most vulnerable of all time. It was a very brave production. I personally love how honest it is. I could see a lot of kids today refer to it as "cringe" because of its vulnerability, but that's because they grew up in a technocratic blip culture that rejects all forms of meaningful dialogue and deep reflection in life.

[@JudgeDredd_]

Garden State introduced me to great music, especially trip-hop with Zero 7. Freshman year, OU. Boomer Sooner baby!

[@hectords164]

Same. My cousin let me borrow the soundtrack and I fell for zero 7 and eventually that led me to portishead. As a 15 yr old back then I was blown away by both bands.

[@legalfictionnaturalfact3969]

Still in love with portishead..

[@yakkodawakko9387]

The scenes with Jim Parsons & Jean Smart are one of the greatest scenes in film history

[@gardenlover9663]

Natalie Portman seems down for anything. The music video parodies for SNL are hilarious. Cool person.

[@guptageneralstores5243]

I still cannot forget the line from that rap "All the kids looking up to me can suck my d**k" 😂😂 A true legend. She's had a 30 year old career and she is 41 right now

[@gardenlover9663]

@@guptageneralstores5243 😆 Epic line! Thanks for reminding me.

[@anthonyyoung6489]

She isn’t down with anal. At least not in high school.

[@mybrotherjames8579]

Taika waititi has a Star Wars movie deal and during love and thunder filming asked Natalie if she’d like to be in a Star Wars movie!😂

[@landridaltwood2698]

Yea, she's always down for ANYTHING (*wink wink)

[@tanjazlatanovska4259]

one of my favorite movies till this day. ❤

[@viperrecords3288]

Jersey boy here Love Garden State. That movie has heart

[@AmraphelofShinar]

Man, I love Garden State. The guy at Blockbuster recommended it and it became like my security blanket for a long time. I was a young man 15+ years ago. I had a motorcycle and was trying to get girls. My dad was kinda rich and I had very few responsibilities but my mom, while living, was unavailable. I had these friends who behaved a lot like the ones in the film. Thank you, Zach, for making this movie.

[@TheWerewolfJesus]

Garden State is such a time capsule of 2004 and it has a killer soundtrack. Maybe it's aged poorly, I don't want to re-watch it now to find out if it holds up or not, but I really loved it when I was nineteen.

[@jasoncinema]

Same. I was 23 when it came out and loved it, and that soundtrack is killer, especially that opening Coldplay song, “Don’t Panic”.

[@viperrecords3288]

It still holds up. Great Movie

[@viperrecords3288]

@@jasoncinema I was 24 love that song

[@DanielBoonelight]

it's incredible, maybe even moreso because of the time capsule aspect of it, but it is also universal/ageless too. rewatch it man.

[@justbaz7471]

I’m 20 currently and I can say wholeheartedly that Garden State definitely holds up. It stands very clearly on its own two feet along with many indie films from that era. Absolutely incredible era of indie filmmaking.

[@Geeksmithing]

That voice is one of Conan's most often used, and it always kills. 😂

[@lachauntiswashington231]

Great interview 👍

[@davidjones-bh5xg]

Superb Movie ❤

[@franciso7724]

Superb Soundtrack too ❤️

[@whatsthehistory4752]

@@franciso7724 yes

[@jonathanf.9395]

​@@franciso7724 One of the best ever

[@chezuz1981]

It was just a absolute genius move from Zach.

[@dublinjazz1]

I have purchased MAYBE 5 movies that weren't kids movies, and Garden State was one of them. I also purchased the soundtrack CD.

[@deuteros]

Garden State was a feeling to me around the time I watched it.

[@AnthonyDuran]

Was 17 in ‘05 and pulled Garden State out of one of those bargain bins in a Walgreens or Walmart and fell absolutely in love with it. Also fell in love with Zero 7 and fell in love with Sia Furler before the world knew her as SIA years later. Their loss, my gain Lol

[@yevgeniyaleshchenko849]

Okay go take a cookie now.

[@zgoblue]

Top 10 greatest movie soundtracks.

[@patrick815]

Even the soundtrack was amazing

[@nancyd1823]

Big fan 🥰

[@strizerquel8796]

i just finished watching this movie

[@pinoycaster1]

I always go back and watch this movie whenever i lost a job or got depressed .

[@voicetube]

I'm here after seeing Garden State again (I saw it in the theater when it came out at least twice as I recall) while on a flight to Vegas from Dallas and was reminded why GS is one of my favorite films of all time. "Oh, and it says balls on your face…" - I started to really study at this time and there are so many moments of intimate genius, for lack of a better way of putting it in this one film that it's sort of miraculous. Films DRIVE to hopefully have one or two great moments like those peppered throughout this tremendous film! Never gets old.

[@LILGHETTI]

The headphone scene is still hilarious

[@Czechbound]

Happy Birthday Mr. Braff. Born 6th April. I hope Conan made him a cake. Btw, he was 28 when he did Garden State, so he was not "very young". Steven Speiberg directed Jaws at 27, and had already done Duel ( at 24 ! ) and The Sugarland Express

[@Brinta3]

@Czechbound And Orson Welles was 25 when he co-wrote, produced, directed, and starred in Citizen Kane.

[@Czechbound]

@@Brinta3 I highly recommend the 3 part biography of Mr. Welles. What a full life he led !

[@krupauk]

why no full episodes?

[@DanielBoonelight]

because it's a podcast. these promote the podcast, its intended format.

[@davidk5093]

A cult classic movie with amazing soundtrack with precise timing, The perfect actors for the perfect movie rolls. The movie can help a lot of people get through a lot of hard times.

[@tl3rdcs1]

Kinda disappointed Zach didn't get the '20's gangster gag, really thought that might turn into a great bit

[@jeffbillings]

“You sound like when they’re doing old timey movie…parodies” Zach, you’re taking to the man who practically invented that.

[@TippyHippy]

I put my hamster in a sock and slammed it against the furniture.

[@AB-sw4kb]

@@TippyHippy poor furniture 😢

[@mandalorian48]

Zach Braff is a badass. I love Garden State. It took me a while to really grasp the brilliance of it, but I get it now. He deserves all the credit he gets..

[@JohnADuerk]

Great film!

[@kbob9625]

One of my favorite movies.

[@emeraldcelestial1058]

Garden State got a lot of criticism but overall it was a well crafted and well performed project and it was nice to see Peter Sarsgaard play someone who wasnt evil lol

[@amandagregg9368]

Did it get a lot of criticism? I remember it being pretty universally beloved when it came out. Made lots of money and was an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival.

[@emilianoo.1596]

@@amandagregg9368 "a lot" is kind of relative, but it did get some backlash for various reasons, one being the "manic pixie dream girl" trope that this movie is often labled with regarding the Portman character as it pertains to Braff's protagonist's conflicts, which is deserving in some aspects and maybe not as deserving in others in my opinion. There is also, as Braff alludes in the video clip, some plot elements that people didn't take too seriously and as such were often labeled as too "cute", "twee", "over indulgent"....The backlash seemed kinda similar in some ways to the one Juno received a few years later. They essentially got good helping of that Sundance-hit-hipster backlash haha

[@emeraldcelestial1058]

@@emilianoo.1596 I think Scott Pilgrim has absorbed a lot of the manic pixie accusations now but that is besides the point and i agree with everything you posted pretty much thanks

[@Jduhon702]

@@emilianoo.1596those people are losers on the internet 20 years later. They hold as much care as what a homeless person thinks of your financials.

[@sergioventura2595]

I live in the garden state

[@JoeO.]

I eat garden salad

[@dre32pitt]

My condolences

[@xploration1437]

My cats breath smells like cat food.

[@sergioventura2595]

@@dre32pitt Thank you

[@jimward8025]

I write Natalie every day and she never gets back to me. 😉

[@johnjeffers1524]

Garden State has a bit of 'The Great Gatsby' spirit in it. It is deeply melancholy and ethereal.

[@cggg490]

lol no

[@yevgeniyaleshchenko849]

Lol no, that's too big of a stretch...

[@xToddmcx]

Funny. But FYI there are safer ways to start a siphon than sucking on the hose. You just need the liquid on the outlet side lower than the inlet sides liquid surface level. For example, push the hose farther into liquid to fill it up, cover the hose end, take back out. Or point the outlet up and pour water into it, cover outlet so hose doesn't drain into tank, lower hose. And so on.

[@sophiegw9914]

Love this movie ❤

[@trallilalli]

when conan puts his hands on the table it sounds loud

[@toronado455]

Could be because the microphones are sitting right on the table surface. I don't notice because my mac mini speaker is basically a high pass filter LOL.

[@trallilalli]

@@toronado455 Yes it is that . I was listening on home theater system

[@WorldsMostWantedNPC]

Garden State is a Great Movie !

[@1gamz]

My fav movie. Side characters were so funny too

[@CJ-jd5hy]

Please get Tom Waits on the podcast. 🙏

[@Zero11576]

Woah

[@spiderjerusalem7720]

Jesus he isn't aging.

[@Havanorange]

Not knowing what you didn't know, and that was a good thing at the time.

[@bfam6066]

Loved him in Scrubs. Loved Scrubs. Never saw Garden State.

[@carlosfrostygreen6855]

2003 weather

[@PersephoneRising333]

RIP Jelly 🐹

[@xploration1437]

Conebone69

[@migalorsdarwin1930]

God damn it Garden State is allready 20 years old!!!????

[@pathologicaldoubt]

I was watching Scrubs the other day… and I was wondering… who’s the funny guy…

[@ColinPMcEvoy]

We just have rice.

[@finalsecretofchrono1339]

Whoever titled this needs to be fired.

[@Rocknrolla25133]

It feels so cliche but Garden State changed my life as a young woman.

[@yevgeniyaleshchenko849]

It's weird because female character wasn't so well-written actually.

[@JohnDoe-vc5qb]

I think he might’ve paid her but I can’t be sure.

[@andrew-hf9fl]

There's no chance garden state paid Natalie Portman what she normally would make/could have been making on another, bigger film. So yes, I'm sure she was paid, but that was certainly not the primary motivator, because otherwise she would have just gone and done some huge blockbuster. (Like thor lol). The fact that she chose to spend her time Not making as much money as possible is what makes it an interesting topic for discussion

[@JohnDoe-vc5qb]

@@andrew-hf9fl that’s the joke

[@hd7704]

@@JohnDoe-vc5qb What's the joke?

[@janst.3791]

@@JohnDoe-vc5qb I don't get it. What's the punchline?

[@lukeshioshio]

I like how this movie humanizes people with autism.

[@LycanLink]

Here comes the lipstick...

[@scottchase8014]

Oh I forgot neither one of you have the correct clearance

[@scottchase8014]

YOU SHOULD BOTH BECOME Q-TIPS WHITE HAIR WHITE SHOES

[@DanielBoonelight]

and you're at home commenting in all caps on the internet

[@avengemybreath3084]

Portman is love personified. I believe she is divorced, however. Sad

[@Madagon367]

Okay, your last success was 20 years ago. But it was a good indie movie.

[@davidjones-bh5xg]

1:03 Very Young ? He was almost 30 years old

[@tomh4244]

In the industry, for that role in the production, at not even 30? Yea, you're a young nobody, a baby, especially if you go ask to a top Hollywood star to be in your stuff. It's not the "30 in the common world" type he's referring to here.

[@sireric41]

30 in directing is like 18 as a soccer player

[@patreekotime4578]

That is very young for a director. Especially from within the studio system where a director was expected to have worked through different roles. And with the exception of directors who started out in film college productions, its still pretty young even in the indie film world. And more importantly, he FELT young.

[@TheBubbas22]

In all aspects of life, yes 30 is very young.

[@podkopayeva]

​He was 25 when he wrote Garden State and 29 by the time it premiered. Which is VERY young to have written and directed a feature film. Starring Natalie Portman nonetheless. Not a huge Zach Braff fan, but credit where credit is due.

[@malenotyalc]

Susan sure is a chatty Cathy. Yap yap yap yap.

[@Geeksmithing]

Who is Susan? 😂

[@lukeshippart4]

I thought Conan would talk about some of the recent criticisms people made about that movie but no... just beating around it I guess

[@crakesandbarrels]

“It was amazing you got Natalie Portman to star in such a shitty movie” - What Conan wanted to say.

[@DanielBoonelight]

no. not at all. people love garden state dude, read the fugging room.

[@Marston9413]

@@DanielBoonelightthat’s ironic you say that because it seems like you can’t read the room. It’s one of those movies you either love it or hate it. I happen to like it but I can see why some hate it. It seems like a really long music video more than a movie

[@DanielBoonelight]

@@Marston9413 um. the expression refers to the rest of the comment field, which you obviously didn't reference. good try though chad.

[@scottchase8014]

DON'T WORRY JULIUS CAESAR LEE CURTIS IS PERFECT FOR THE PART I MISS MAKING ORANGE JULIUS HAS WITH HER AT SCHOOL

[@gerbmcnuggets5466]

Zach reminds me of Dax Shepard if he had 50% less talent, twice the ego and none the success

[@hd7704]

Dax was ok in Idiocracy

[@nifemi_o]

I dont know about talent or ego, but in what fantasy world do you live in where Dax Shepard is more successful than this guy? that's hilarious

[@Raven05R6]

Lol did Dax write this? Dax Shepards biggest accomplishment was marrying Kristen Bell.

[@abrokenhelix]

Get back on the wagon Dax.

[@MarkArnoldMusic]

Dax Shepard has 100% more Kristen Bell though… so… every cloud.

[@nickvin7447]

If he is getting old, I am getting old.

[@johnmuldoon2037]

Could we talk about Natalie Portman a little more?

[@davidsummers6700]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGXQdKOYqrF1ldE Conan's Interview with Zach in November 2003, a month and a half before Garden State's release.

[@ApolloToTheMoon]

I remember watching that movie as a teenager and loving it. Watching it as an adult ruins it because all I see now are a bunch of young people wasting their youth and complaining.