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Just as Bryan Cranston grew beyond his comic beginnings on the hit sitcom “Malcolm in the Middle,” finding an outlet for his dramatic abilities in Vince Gilligan’s crime saga “Breaking Bad,” so too has Adam Scott, earning his acting stripes on comedies like “Party Down” and “Parks and Recreation,” but now leading the Apple TV+ sci-fi workplace drama “Severance.” The director behind the series, Ben Stiller, has known Scott since working with him on his 2013 film, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” and fought for him to be given the role of Mark even when Apple wasn’t sure Scott could carry the weight of the show.
“There are actors like Bryan Cranston who get to go to another place when people see them in a certain role,” Stiller said in a recent interview with The New Yorker, referring to Cranston’s leap from “Malcolm” to “Breaking Bad” and how he saw Scott fitting this mold. “That’s what I felt with this.”
Scott himself is slightly less confident in his abilities, sharing with The New Yorker that he remains concerned over being “not very good” as an actor.
“And that’s not in a showy way, like how ‘impostor syndrome’ has become this buzzword now and most people are using it to humblebrag,” said Scott, adding later, “The thing is, I live daily with the fear of anyone thinking I think I’m great.”
Michael Schur, Scott’s previous collaborator who created and served as showrunner on “Parks and Recreation,” believes this mindset has only helped shape the actor further, keeping him from going “over the top.” In reference to “Severance” specifically, Schur believes Scott has avoided being showy with the part, instead working with subtlety and nuance to create not one, but two characters audiences can root for despite their shortcomings.
“He had the opportunity to go big, and play these two wildly distinct characters,” Schur said to The New Yorker. “But he stayed small.”
Describing his understanding of both Marks, Scott added, “The innie is everything I like about myself, and the outie is everything I hate about myself — like, a guy who thinks everything is bullshit and keeps everyone at an arm’s distance.”
Even beyond his acting abilities, Stiller also knew Scott would serve as exactly the right kind of collaborator for this kind of project, one that relied on an “inherent sadness” he felt they both understood implicitly.
“I’ve come to rely on Adam a lot because we share the same taste,” said Stiller, “and ultimately it all comes down to taste.”
In addition to working together on the show, Scott and Still have also decided to team up together on a companion podcast called “The Severance Podcast with Ben Stiller and Adam Scott” that launches on January 7 and will feature guests like the show’s creator, Dan Erickson, and super fans like Jon Stewart of “The Daily Show.”
Season 2 of “Severance” premieres on Apple TV+ January 17.
English (US) ·