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While Adam Scott has had many roles over the years, he has been gaining extra attention recently from his standout performance in the Apple TV+ series Severance. The mind-bending sci-fi thriller has given Scott a chance to shine outside of the more comedic roles he’s known for. Looking back on his career thus far, Scott has given a number of incredible performances from Step Brothers to Parks and Recreation to Severance. Here are some of our favorites.
Mark Scout/Mark S. – Severance
In the Apple TV+ series Severance, Adam Scott plays Mark Scout, an employee of Lumon Industries. In an effort to help himself through the grieving process of losing his wife, Mark applies to Lumon’s severance program, a procedure that separates his consciousness during work hours into that of his “innie” Mark S. Playing what is essentially two different versions of the same person is not an easy task, especially as Mark’s work life and home life begin to overlap more and more, and yet Adam Scott continues to amaze us week after week.
Ben Wyatt – Parks and Recreation
It’s hard to imagine another actor bringing Parks and Rec’s Ben Wyatt to life better than Adam Scott. Ben has an endearing earnestness to him that makes him easy to relate to, and isn’t afraid to geek out about his interests, like claymation, accounting, and calzones. He is also deeply in love with his girlfriend and eventual wife Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and is eager to support her and her endeavors, no matter how zany they may be.
Derek – Step Brothers
Even though Adam Scott may be great at playing endearing nerds like Ben Wyatt, he is also equally great at playing jerks. Brennan’s (Will Ferrell) brother Derek in Step Brothers is one of the most memorable jerks that Scott has played over the years, and not just because his character didn’t realize how lucky he was to be married to someone played by Kathryn Hahn. Derek is the perfect villain for a movie like this. He bullies Brennan for singing, but also insists that his own family be trained to sing “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses a capella at a moment’s notice. He tries to act like he’s better than Brennan and Dale (John C. Reilly), and yet he can’t let go of being a teenage bully. It’s hard to stand out in a movie filled with so many top notch comedic performances, but Adam Scott does so incredibly well.
Henry Pollard – Party Down
While Henry Pollard might not be quite as easy to love as Ben Wyatt, this role in the Starz comedy Party Down is still one of Adam Scott’s best. Henry is a retired actor who decides to take a job from a college friend working for Party Down Catering after his career stalls. He has a resigned nihilism to him, as his life is clearly not turning out the way he thought it would, but whereas it would be easy to play a character like this as just a straight up jerk, Scott’s charisma makes it hard to hate him.
Trevor – The Good Place
Adam Scott’s role in The Good Place isn’t a large one, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t impeccable in the role. Scott plays a demon named Trevor, who we meet for the first time after Eleanor (Kristen Bell) reveals to Michael (Ted Danson) that she doesn’t belong in the Good Place. If you thought Derek was a massive jerk wad, wait until you meet Trevor. Trevor is an amalgamation of every dudebro stereotype whose intention is to be as overwhelmingly annoying as possible. It’s almost hard to believe that this is the same actor who made Ben Wyatt so lovable, and yet that’s even more of a testament to his abilities. As much as Trevor gets under our skin, Scott plays such a great bad guy that we still get excited every time he appears throughout the series.
The post Adam Scott’s Best Roles: Severance, Parks and Rec, and More appeared first on Den of Geek.
