Zach Braff loves Comic-Con More Than You

There are a lot of seemingly non sequitur elements of Zach Braff's sophomore directorial debut, Wish I Was Here : monsters, swear jars, brightly colored wigs, heroes wearing fish bowls as helmets and so much more. And one of the most interesting visual additions to the film is the world of cosplay, specifically the kind of cosplay you see at comic conventions like San Diego's Comic-Con. Zach Braff, who stars in, directs, and co-wrote the film with his brother, sat down to talk about the inspiration for the film's colorful supplement.

"I thought cosplay was really interesting — people dressing up as characters from movies," Braff said. "I went to Comic-Con and I thought it was really cool that they're people who were really shy and reclusive, and they found a way to be fully self-expressed with costumes. By becoming these heroic characters they became they character themselves," Braff expressed.

But he didn't stop there. The Scrubs actor went on to further proclaim his love for the convention, which will take place in San Diego July 24-27. "I love Comic-Con. It is a celebration of the people who have felt alienated a lot of their lives. It's a celebration of all those kids who were playing Dungeons and Dragons and being made fun of, or gamers or people who collect figures or people who love comic books, it's their celebration of who they are. I'm all about being fully expressed, being who you truly are," he proudly stated.

In the film, Josh Gad plays the protagonist's brother, who finds the world of make believe a more compelling and comfortable reality than most. He befriends (and falls for) his next door neighbor (played by Ashely Green) who is a fellow comic convention nerd. (And as always, I say "nerd" with utmost appreciation).

"I thought it would be funny if [SPOILERS!] an alien and a spaceman were having sex... so I put that in my movie," Braff said of the relationship between Gad and Green's characters.

Braff concludes his verbal homage to the convention with a simple utterance of courage: "Let your freak flag fly."

Wish I Was Here hits theatres July 17.