Adam Scott on the return of cult classic Party Down – and reveals what he would do if he wasn’t an actor

Adam Scott is a familiar face on our screens nowadays.

He has an ever-growing filmography but is perhaps best known on this side of the Atlantic for his role as Ben Wyatt in sitcom Parks And Recreation, Derek Huff in smutty comedy Step Brothers and more recently, Mark S in the Apple TV+ thriller Severance.

But in the US it is cult sitcom Party Down where he made his debut as a comedic lead back in the late noughties – a show about struggling actors trying to make ends meet by working at a Hollywood catering agency, with a cast boasting the likes of his Parks And Rec co-star Megan Mullally, Glee’s Jane Lynch, and Spider-Man’s Martin Starr.

It ran for just two seasons in 2009 and 2010, and was ultimately cancelled by US network Starz for low viewership (only 13,000 people watched the season finale, Scott pointed out) – with some speculating the loss of Scott to Parks And Rec on NBC was also a key driver for the decision.

But the show has been resurrected 13 years after its cancellation, with almost the full cast returning – despite their incredibly busy schedules.

“We couldn’t believe we were actually there,” Scott told Backstage, the TV and film podcast from Sky News, in his only UK interview.

“We would look at each other every day and just marvel at the fact that we were actually finally doing it.

“One thing that I realised when we’re making the first episode, when I looked at the group, the entire Party Down cast, was how much I had missed them, obviously, but also how much I had missed these characters.

“I’d been around the people, but not them playing these characters for 13 years, and I just really missed them, and it was so much fun to see them back in action.”

Scott’s career took off – unlike that of his character

Scott plays Henry Pollard, who in the original series was a failed actor, only largely known for a beer commercial he had done in the years prior, and was working for Party Down to make a living.

Now, Henry is a teacher – but still working at Party Down for some extra cash, despite his stable job.

Scott admitted to Backstage he was facing similar fortunes to his character back in 2009.

“Most of us just had nothing but time on our hands and related directly to these characters, a group of people who are trying to make it in Hollywood, and success has kind of always been just a little out of reach.

“Any life in show business is tough and we were all in the middle of it.”

Fortunately for Scott, his real-life luck did turn, and he works on some of the biggest shows and films in the world – but he said despite being booked and busy now, the character still felt comfortable.

“Henry still isn’t the most settled person in the world – but he’s also older, wiser and more comfortable with himself, which I think is something that comes with age and being in your forties.”

But what would Scott be doing if his luck didn’t change?

“Man, I don’t know. I just don’t have any backup skills,” he admitted.

“Occupations I’ve had romantic notions about over the years are like a political journalist or a music journalist.

“Writing about music I would love to do – when I was a teenager, I thought I could do that.

“But being a political journalist and like being on the road with a campaign, it was something that I always wanted to do. But I’m not saying I have any skill in that area.”

Sky political correspondent Adam Scott has a ring to it don’t you think?

Party Down is streaming on Lionsgate+ – hear our review on this week’s Backstage, the TV and film podcast from Sky News.