Fans are thrilled that Adam Scott finally got the chance to showcase his serious side in Severance, proving he’s more than just a comedy star. But ironically, it was his comedic background that helped him land the role. According to Ben Stiller, Scott’s ability to balance humor and emotion made him the perfect fit.
His experience in Parks and Recreation and Step Brothers may have built his reputation for laughs, but it also gave him the skills to tackle the eerie, mind-bending world of Severance!
Step Brothers is how Adam Scott convinced Ben Stiller to cast him in Severance!
Before Severance turned Adam Scott into a dramatic powerhouse, he was best known for his impeccable comedic timing in films and TV shows like Parks and Recreation, Party Down, Sleeping with Other People, and Friends with Kids.
But one of his most memorable roles? The hilariously smug and insufferably perfect Derek in the 2008 comedy Step Brothers, which proved to be a success with a $100 million domestic box office collection on a budget of $65 million.
Scott’s performance in Step Brothers clearly left a lasting impression, especially on Ben Stiller. When a fan on X asked if Scott’s role in the film influenced his casting in Severance, he said,
The scene in question,
In Step Brothers, Scott played Derek, an arrogant, self-absorbed alpha male That mix of overconfidence, comedic timing, and emotional shift gave Step Brothers one of its funniest character arcs.
But beyond the laughs, it proved that Scott had the ability to transition seamlessly between humor and sincerity, something that became essential in Severance, where every scene walks a tightrope between dark satire and psychological drama. Ironically, a film about adults acting like children ended up playing a key role in Scott landing his most intense and emotionally complex role yet.
Will there ever be a Step Brothers 2?
Well, nothing’s for sure, but that doesn’t mean the idea hasn’t been tossed around. Unlike many other beloved 2000s comedies, Step Brothers has managed to avoid the fate of soulless sequels. Will Ferrell and Adam McKay have been selective about revisiting their classics, with Anchorman 2 being the only real exception.
Ferrell admitted in a 2018 interview with Daily News that he had an idea for a sequel, he explained,
We talked about (a sequel to) Step Brothers, and then Adam and I got sidetracked with other things, We had a whole story where John (C. Reilly) and I follow our parents to live in a retirement community and try to convince them that we earned the right to retire as well.
He further added,
The sequel thing is so funny because, we decided obviously to go down the road with Anchorman, and we made what I thought was a really great sequel, really funny, The entertainment media and fans beg you, and beg you, and beg you for sequels, and then you make it and you definitely have a fraction that’s like, ‘Well, not as good as the first one.’ So I guess it’s a catch-22. It’s a nice catch-22, because people love the movies in the first place.”
Unfortunately, that idea never got off the ground. Ferrell, wary of how Anchorman 2 was received (despite making $173 million), didn’t push forward, and he and McKay have since moved on to other projects. So, as much as fans would love another round it looks like Step Brothers will remain a one-of-a-kind comedy classic, for now…
Step Brothers is available on Apple TV for rent, while Severance is streaming on Apple TV +
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
