‘Scrubs’ Actor Zach Braff Finds ‘Freedom’ in Turning 50

What was it like for you to turn 50? Did you embrace it? Did you fear it?

Honestly, it’s the happiest I’ve ever been. I always feel like Molly Shannon’s Sally O’Malley character when she says, ‘I’m 50 years old!’ It gave me the freedom to start making bolder choices about how I want the rest of my life to be. I had some epiphanies when I turned 50. I didn’t even know they were coming, but I find myself all the time being like, I don’t know if this happened for other of your readers, but being like, ‘You know what? I’m 50 f—ing years old. I’m not dealing with that anymore. No more. If you’re that type of person, you’re gone. I’m 50 years old. I’m not going to do X, Y, and Z anymore.’ It gave me sort of permission to, in my own head, to sort of shut some mishigas out of my life.

What’s the negative part of getting older for you?

I don’t really love the wrinkles under my eyes. I don’t love my wrinkles, but I’m getting used to them. I don’t love that my beard is completely white. I wish I had a little more pepper in it. But no, there’s no doubt, I’m so happy. I’m so fulfilled with work. And I have a great family, and I have a dog that is my pride and joy.

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Braff directs Harrison Ford in the Apple TV+ series “Shrinking.” “He’s a big softy once you get past the gruffness,” Braff says of the Hollywood legend.

Courtesy of Apple

You’ve also been busy directing. Will you do any more Shrinking episodes?

In this season [the third, which began streaming Jan. 28], I directed episodes 3 and 4. And I’ve been directing for the new Steve Carell show called Rooster that comes out in March. I directed episodes 3 and 4 of that one as well.

How was it to direct Harrison Ford? That must have been quite a trip.

It was. He’s a big softy once you get past the gruffness. It’s very intimidating. But I had some, speaking of AARP, experience dealing with gruff seniors because I directed a movie for your audience called Going in Style, about three seniors that rob a bank. I was directing Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Alan Arkin. And then I directed Morgan again in my own film, A Good Person. But Harrison takes the cake, and he’s a sweetheart, and we found common ground — he liked my style of directing, and I’m a pilot. I’m not a pilot like on his level, but I have my pilot’s license, and so we talk aviation.

I saw an old interview where you were turning 30 and you talked about how you’d just taken your first flying lesson. It was on a bucket list of yours. Now that you’re 50, what’s still on the list?

I’d like to get back into flying, to be honest. I let it go because I got busy with life and it’s expensive and I was just focused on other things. But I find myself watching YouTube videos of guys flying the plane I used to have, and just living vicariously through YouTube guys.

Braff and Chalke in Season 9 of “Scrubs” in 2009. Both of their characters will again walk the halls of the fictional Sacred Heart Hospital in the series revival.

Richard Carwright/ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection

What do you like about flying?

It requires every single aspect of your brain. It’s bizarrely meditative because there’s no room for you to have too much chatter going on in your head because you have to be constantly scanning your instruments and communicating and flying the airplane. It takes a lot of skill and you’re so focused on it that your mind is kind of quiet. It also feels like such an achievement to be flying an airplane; it just feels cool. Also, I love learning. I loved taking on something that I never thought I would be able to do. I miss it. So that might be something I get back into in my 50s.

Is there anything else you’d like to take on in your 50s?

Flying is the first thing that comes to mind. That’s the big thing. It remains to be seen whether I’ll get married and have kids. That’s on the TBD list. I might just be a dog owner.