Adam Scott was well known for his comedic chops before he landed the role in Apple TV Plus’s sci-fi hit Severance, thanks to roles in Parks and Recreation and Step Brothers. But now it seems these were a big part of the reason that he landed the role, according to executive producer Ben Stiller.
Posting on Twitter, he shared the scene in Step Brothers when Scott’s Derek is telling a story about fishing in the southern part of the gulf. Dale interrupts the story, ruining it and “possibly the entire evening”. Alongside it, Stiller wrote: “One of the funniest scenes in all of movies ever made in history of movies being made.”
He was then quizzed by another user who asked, “Be honest Ben, how much did Adam’s performance in this scene influence you casting him in Severance?” To which Stiller replied: “Completely. It’s when I knew he was an incredible actor.”
Scott plays Mark Scout in Severance, which is currently airing its second season on Apple TV Plus. He plays both versions of the character, his jaded and grieving ‘Outie’ and his more naive and romantic ‘Innie’.
Speaking to GamesRadar+ earlier this year, the actor shared how much he’s enjoyed the show getting even weirder, thanks to creator Dan Erickson’s fantastic writing. “Whenever we go in a new direction or he introduces a big new weird idea, it’s always exciting,” he told us. “And no, I never would’ve imagined it would go to this particular place because I just always sort of had faith in Dan and Ben and figure that where they decide to take us is gonna be the right direction.”
Severance airs weekly on Apple TV Plus, check out our Severance season 2 release schedule to never miss an episode. For more, check out our guides to the best Apple shows and the best Apple movies.