Before he found mainstream success on Parks and Recreation, the actor took on roles in movies and shows you’ve probably forgotten — and some he wishes you would.
Adam Scott as Alex alongside co-star Taylor Schilling as Emily in The Overnight.
The Orchard
Over the past several years, Adam Scott has noticed a change in the film and television roles he gets. Namely, he's playing fewer overgrown kids and more adults with kids.
"I remember the first time I played a parent was, I did a guest spot on Veronica Mars and they were like, 'OK, and this is your daughter,' and there's this little girl standing there. And I remember thinking, OK, this is weird... I guess I'm old enough to have a daughter," Scott, who now has two kids with wife Naomi Sablan, told BuzzFeed News. "Ever since then, I've been a parent. I'm trying to think of when I have played someone who isn't a parent lately. It seems like they all are."
His latest film, The Overnight, is no exception. The indie sex comedy made a big splash at Sundance for its progressive sexual politics and (fake) full-frontal male nudity. But despite The Overnight's raunchy content, Scott's character Alex's identity is very much tied to being a parent.
And while he's now known mostly for comedy, Scott has done his share of drama and dabbled in action and horror since he began his career in the mid-'90s. He's drawn to smaller indies but hasn't shied away from mainstream productions. And his television work ranges from the largely forgotten (Tell Me You Love Me) to the cult followed (Party Down) and critically adored (Parks and Recreation).
At this point in his career, Scott can afford to be a little more selective about the projects he takes on — but that doesn't mean his work has slowed down. The Overnight is perhaps the best encapsulation of the kind of roles he's looking for now: It's hilarious and edgy, but also subtle and restrained.
"For me, the comedies that truly work are the ones that are grounded in some way. If it's all heightened, it's really hard, it's a little slippery. It's hard to get purchase on the side of the wall," he said. "[The Overnight writer-director] Patrick [Brice] did such a good job of grounding everything before things get crazy. These are all believable people in relatable situations. That's the most effective way to get your comedy in there."
Of course, that's the ideal — but there was a time in Scott's career when his main concern was just getting a job, not the quality of the project. In a candid discussion about past hits and misses at Joan's on Third in Studio City, California, Scott offered insight into the realities of being a working actor: the good, the bad, and the Hellraiser: Bloodline.
ABC
