Adam Scott is enjoying quite a career. The talented actor is probably best known for his role as Ben Wyatt on “Parks and Recreation,” and lately he’s starring in the excellent Apple+ series “Severance.”
He has spent his career doing a nice blend of television (from “Boy Meets World” and “Party of Five” and HBO’s “Tell Me You Love Me”) and movies (“High Crimes,” “Torque,” “The Aviator”). He was hilarious as the mean brother Derek in the Will Ferrell / John C. Reilly comedy, “Step Brothers.” It’s quite an accomplishment to shine in a film featuring those two talents.
Bullz-Eye.com Interview
We interviewed Adam in 2008 in connection with his role in the film “August,” starring Josh Hartnett. The beautiful Emmanuelle Chriqui also had a role in the film. Adam explained, “(9/11 is) just kind of this specter hanging over the characters and the story (of ‘August’), so the audience has this knowledge that the characters don’t: that all of this is just going to be wiped clean after the story ends.”
TV and Film Roles
Below are some highlights from Adam’s acting career:
“Tell Me You Love Me” (2007)
The greatness of HBO lies in taking chances, and they really went for it with this series. The show was known for graphic and supposedly “realistic” sex scenes as it followed three couples and the challenges in their relationships. Adam and the rest of the cast are excellent in this series, but it’s a painful watch, which explains why it only lasted one season. There’s little joy or fun here, so the stories seem too painful to watch.
“Parks & Recreation”
Adam joined the cast in Season 2 along with Rob Lowe. You can check out our reviews of Seasons One, Two and Three. We listed the show in our 2012 Power Rankings and our 2013 Power Rankings of the best shows on TV, as Jason Zingale wrote:
There are a number of reasons why “Parks and Recreation” belongs on the Power Rankings, but at the top of that list is the cast, which is arguably the best comedy ensemble on TV. Amy Poehler has transformed Leslie Knope from a Michael Scott wannabe into an incredibly loveable and realistic character capable of making us laugh and breaking out hearts in the same episode, and the actress has delivered such consistently great work that it’s hard to believe she still hasn’t won an Emmy for the role. It’s also no surprise that the show started to really hit its groove once Adam Scott and Rob Lowe joined the cast, although the latter hasn’t been quite as entertaining this season. Chris Pratt and Aubrey Plaza’s quirky relationship continues to earn big laughs, and in Ron Swanson, Nick Offerman has created a truly hilarious, one-of-a-kind TV personality. Even glorified background players Retta and Jim O’Heir have been upping their game this year, and with this much talent at their disposal, the writers have been having an absolute field day.
“Severance” 2022
Adam has the lead role in this excellent Sci-Fi mystery Apple+ show directed by Ben Stiller. The entire cast is excellent with Britt Lower, Zach Cherry, Tramell Tillman, Jen Tullock, Dichen Lachman, Michael Chernus, John Turturro, Christopher Walken and Patricia Arquette. The show is a slow burn but the end of Season One packs quite a punch.