Zach Braff Recalls Cringe Moment With Michael Fassbender Confusing Him for Dax Shepard

Zach Braff shared a hilariously awkward story on the Armchair Expert podcast about being mistaken for Dax Shepard by Michael Fassbender. The incident happened during a night out in a crowded Las Vegas nightclub with his longtime friend and Scrubs co-star Donald Faison.

Braff had momentarily lost track of Faison and was trying to find him near the DJ booth when Fassbender suddenly approached and grabbed his shoulders. “He grabs me, and before I can say anything, he says, ‘I love you.’ I go, ‘Oh my God.’ He goes, ‘I love your work.

I love everything that you do… The s— you make is f—ing awesome. I wish we could work together,’” Braff recalled. For a moment, Braff felt on top of the world, soaking in the praise while Faison watched proudly, acting like the ultimate hype man.

But the excitement quickly turned into embarrassment when Fassbender revealed the project he was praising. “Donald’s looking at me like, ‘Yeah, boy.’ Proud. And then [Fassbender] goes, ‘I mean, f—ing CHiPs, dude,’” Braff said.

The joke? Dax Shepard, not Zach Braff, wrote and directed the 2017 CHiPs film. The two actors have joked for years about how often people confuse them. “I just felt my heart sink because now, not only is it about Dax, but I don’t know how to get out of this encounter,” Braff admitted.

Faison quickly stepped in to save the situation, listing Braff’s most famous projects to remind Fassbender who he was talking to. “Donald, being like my wife/wingman, is like, ‘No, man, this is Zach Braff…’ [Fassbender’s] face dropped, as embarrassing as it was,” Braff said.

Faison named Garden State, The Last Kiss, and A Good Person, while Braff begged him to stop and let Fassbender retreat gracefully. “He’s just nodding and nodding, and then I’m like, Donald, let’s set him free, please. He backed away, and that was it. I didn’t even make it out of the club. I was so embarrassed,” Braff concluded.

Braff and Faison’s friendship remains strong and fun, something fans have loved seeing since Scrubs. Their bond was recently on display during the Scrubs revival that premiered in February, bringing back familiar faces like Sarah Chalke, Judy Reyes, and John C. McGinley.

Braff even directed the season premiere. The show has been a ratings hit, with the finale scheduled for April 15. Outside of Scrubs, Braff continues to work behind the camera, directing the drama A Good Person starring Florence Pugh, while Faison has appeared in the series Extended Family.

Fassbender, meanwhile, has starred in David Fincher’s The Killer and Next Goal Wins and has several upcoming projects, including the thriller Hope and a new espionage series.

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