Exclusive Interview: Zach Braff and Esther McGregor on Honoring Brooke’s Story and the Hope at the Heart of ‘Clean Hands’

Zach Braff and Esther McGregor’s performances in Clean Hands are as affecting in their moments of warmth and humor as they are in their heartbreak. Portraying Kevin and Brooke Simmers, the two share a chemistry that captures years of affection, familiarity, and a father’s fierce devotion to his daughter. They approach the family’s experience with care and emotional honesty, honoring Brooke’s life and the love behind the community built in her memory.

Written and directed by Jake Allyn, Clean Hands follows Sergeant Kevin Simmers (Braff), who leads a task force fighting drugs in Hagerstown, Maryland, while struggling to help his nineteen-year-old daughter Brooke (McGregor) as her addiction escalates from pain medication to heroin. Based on their true story, the film examines Kevin’s reckoning with the system he dedicated his career to serving. Made in partnership with Brooke’s House, the women’s recovery home he created in his daughter’s memory, the production welcomed graduates and counselors into its cast, connecting the film to the community carrying that mission forward.

Pop Culturalist spoke with Zach and Esther about the responsibility of bringing Kevin and Brooke’s story to the screen, how the people of Brooke’s House shaped their performances, and the immediate connection they found as scene partners. They also reflected on the humor that helped establish their father-daughter bond and the trust that allowed them to navigate the film’s most difficult moments.

PC: Zach, Kevin has accomplished so much in his career, but when addiction hits close to home with Brooke, he’s faced with something he can’t solve for her. We see the emotional toll on Kevin and Dana as they try everything they can to help. The film shows that there are no easy answers when it comes to addiction. Yet, in the family’s darkest hour, it finds hope in what they’re able to build moving forward. How did you find the emotional truth in those moments, whether through conversations with Kevin and Dana or through your own preparation?
Zach: Jake wrote a brilliant script. It was all on the page. That was really the case. Sometimes you read a script, and you go, “Oof, maybe when you film it, it’ll get better.” But Jake’s script was excellent. He had spent so much time with Kevin. He lived with them. He got to know them.

Then Esther and I were lucky enough to get to know them, their friends, and Brooke’s actual counselor. I’ve never been in a film like this. Usually, maybe you meet them once, but they were there while we were filming. So many of the background police officers were Kevin’s friends who served. The counselor in the jail was Brooke’s counselor. We were surrounded by them. We could do a take and go to the monitor and be like, “Kevin, was that what you would say?” Sometimes a line would feel wrong, and I’d go, “What would you say to this guy?” He’d go, “I’d probably just say this.” Then I would go, “Jake, I’m saying that.”

It was such a unique experience to not only be playing real people but to have them there. I felt so lucky. Between Jake’s script, Esther being brilliant, and Abigail Spencer being amazing, we were just surrounded by talent.

PC: This film has so many powerful moments. It’s one that is going to spark a lot of conversations, and that’s the perfect segue to my question for you, Esther. You bring so much care and nuance to Brooke’s story and the experiences of so many others reflected in it. Brooke’s House graduates and counselors appeared alongside you in the film. How did their presence and those conversations help shape your performance, especially in those more difficult moments?
Esther: It was everything. I feel so lucky because I got so much support. It was very comforting. It was great being with Irene, who was Brooke’s counselor. She brought so much light and nuance to understanding her and her being. Naomi worked with us on set as well. She’s part of Brooke’s House, and she’s great. It felt very supportive. I felt very safe, which really helped me step into something like this, which can feel daunting. But it was such a beautiful experience.

Leading up to shooting, I was on Zooms with people who are at Brooke’s House, learning about the psychology and nature of addiction, heroin specifically. Seeing the life that Kevin was able to build for other people was so, so powerful. He was a huge, huge part of my preparation, but also my hope. He’s an amazing, amazing human being.

PC: There’s such a strong connection between the two of you as you bring Kevin and Brooke’s father-daughter bond to life. It feels like you’re feeding off one another’s performances, bringing that love and that warmth, but also those moments of fear and frustration. Can you talk a bit about exploring that push and pull and how the choices your scene partner made shaped your own performance?
Zach: We bonded immediately. It’s the dream scenario. It’s one of the greatest connections I’ve had outside of Scrubs, which obviously was an extreme comedic example where we all clicked and made something special. In the dramatic sense, this was the most extreme instant connection. Esther and I didn’t know each other at all. We had to show up and be best friends. This father and daughter were so close. They loved each other. They teased each other. That’s why it was such a tragedy. Esther and I just found that. We really became so close. We laughed. We teased each other. Jake really let us improvise and play around because when we found out Kevin was so funny in real life, I said, “Jake, we got to find some more humor between these characters because he’s such a ball buster.” He’s so silly.

Jake wasn’t so precious about the dialogue at times. Obviously, some of it was very important, but he let Esther and me riff, play around, and improvise. That sense that you got of how close they are came from Esther and me doing that.

Esther: I also think the safety that we had with one another, because it was such an amazing connection, really let us go to those darker parts and more depressing moments. The levity between us allowed us to tap into those things. It made us very comfortable with one another, and we felt very safe, which was very important. But it’s also something that we didn’t have to work on. It just happened. It was amazing.

Make sure to follow Zach (X/Instagram) and Esther (Instagram). Clean Hands hits select theaters and on demand on October 16th.