Actor and film director Zach Braff ran onto the stage with a Red Bull clutched in his left hand Monday night, greeting the crowd and pointing to his butt before planting it in a cushy armchair.
Braff, perhaps best known for his role on the long-running TV series "Scrubs," entertained a crowd of about 1,700 people in the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
Brought by Jewish Awareness Month and Accent, Student Government's Speakers Bureau, Braff, was interviewed by journalism master lecturer Mike Foley about his career, childhood and recent adventure to Israel about six months ago.
"I love Israel," he said. "I don't think it's just a Jew thing. The truth is it's an amazing place. All the major religions started there."
Braff, 33, who is the youngest of four children, said he first discovered his love for acting from a constant childhood desire to show off .
"I wanted to make my family laugh," he said. "I was pretty much as gay as you can be without being attracted to men. I love the theater, and I love music."
In his first TV spot he starred in a CBS special called "My Summer as a Girl," where he dressed in drag.
"I was a horrible looking woman," he said.
It was still some time before he was able to land the role of Dr. John "J.D." Dorian on what-was-then NBC's "Scrubs."
At age 26, he auditioned for the show twice before receiving a call back, which brought on six more auditions in front of various NBC executives, a process which he compared to competing in an Olympic event.
"It doesn't matter if you nail the part the third time, because if you bomb it the fourth time there is nothing you can do," he said.
Braff admitted the long, stressful process eventually paid off. In becoming the star in a hit TV show, he also had "ultimate freedom," a term he referred to when describing the cast's input in the show.
"There are so many jobs where you're not free to be creative," he said, adding he was also blessed to be cast in a compatible group of a sane people.
Braff credited the show's hilarity to creator Bill Lawrence's love of improvisation.
"We'd do a scene as written and then just mess around," he said.
During his interview, Braff took a special liking to the man who was signing for the hearing impaired on stage.
He would periodically ask him to sign inappropriate words like "shit," "foreskin" and "titties."
"It would be so much fun to hang out and in your daily life have someone sign everything you say," he said.
Braff spoke on other interests he's pursued, outside of acting, such as obtaining his pilot's license and directing. He won a Grammy for his compilation soundtrack in the film "Garden State."
"That poor Grammy has gotten more evil eyes from musicians," he said, and said he knows little about music besides what he likes and doesn't like.
During the audience question-and-answer portion, the majority of women confessed their love for Braff, one even asked for a hug - in response, Braff left the stage to meet her in the aisle.
Most male audience members requested him to recite their favorite "Scrubs" quotes and asked what will come of the show's taxidermied pet, Rowdy, once the show ends in May.
"I'm allowed to have a dead stuffed dog in my house, and I will," he said.
According to the SG Finance department Braff was paid $60,000 to come and speak.
