Zach Braff Recalls His ‘Scrubs’ Auditions for E!’s ‘Reunion Road Trip’ (VIDEO)
If at first you don’t succeed, try again. That worked for Zach Braff when it came to Scrubs, the medical comedy (2001-2010) on which he played J.D. Dorian.
The star details his audition story for E!’s Reunion Road Trip, and TV Insider has an exclusive sneak peek of the July 1 episode as he recalls how he ended up landing the role for Donald Faison (who played Christopher Turk) and Sarah Chalke (who played Elliot Reid).
“My story’s a little different because you guys had both worked. I had no money, and so I’m waiting tables at a French Vietnamese restaurant,” Braff says. “So my first time auditioning for Scrubs, I didn’t do a really good job. I hadn’t really prepared. I didn’t get a callback, I didn’t get anything.”
However, after he returned to Los Angeles from New York, his agent suggested he go back in when the role had yet to be filled. “This time I went all out. I was prepared,” Braff continues. “And then I started to get a sense that [creator] Bill [Lawrence] was rooting for me.”
Watch the clip above for more, including why he thought he was Lawrence’s “favorite,” who he called when he got the part, and why Braff and Faison are still so entertaining to watch together.
Bob D’Amico / ©ABC / courtesy Everett Collection
Reunion Road Trip brings in beloved casts to reflect on their shows and share surprising revelations and behind-the-scenes scoop. In the “Back to Scrubs” episode, Braff, Chalke, and Faison’s reunion includes a quest to track down the show’s treasured taxidermied dog Rowdy and surprise appearances from their co-stars Robert Maschio (who played Todd) and Judy Reyes (who played Carla Espinosa). The E! series also reunited the casts of All My Children, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, and A Different World.
Reunion Road Trip, Thursday, 9/8c, E!
