Zach Braff has a strong connection to his hometown of South Orange, New Jersey. The actor/writer/director made his directorial debut with a feature set and shot there (2004’s Garden State), and nearly 20 years later he’s made his second homecoming with his latest film, A Good Person. This time around, he brought the legendary, Oscar-winning talents of Morgan Freeman with him, and he shot scenes in some memory-filled places from his childhood – including the local park’s duck pond and the principal’s office in his alma mater high school.
I can personally relate to Braff’s hometown love because I grew up in South Orange’s sister town and graduated from the same high school. Watching the film, it’s wild to see Morgan Freeman in places I remember from growing up, and I told the filmmaker as much when I interviewed him last week during the virtual press day for A Good Person. I asked about the experience of shooting scenes with Freeman in his hometown and the reaction of locals to the beloved star, and Braff said,
