Severance was one of the most talked-about TV series of 2022, receiving widespread critical acclaim. We loved the series so much that Ars staffers actually wrote a group review so that everyone could weigh in with their thoughts on the first season, pronouncing it "one of the best shows on TV." Needless to say, we have been eagerly awaiting the second season next month. Apple TV+ just released the official trailer at CCXP24 in São Paulo, Brazil, and it does not disappoint.
(Spoilers for first season below.)
In the world of Severance, people can completely disconnect their work and personal lives. Thanks to a new procedure developed by Lumon Industries, workers can bifurcate themselves into "innies" (work selves) and "outies" (personal selves)—with no sharing of memories between them. This appeals to people like Mark (Adam Scott), who lost his wife in a car crash and has struggled to work through the grief. Why not forget all that pain for eight hours a day?
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Adam Scott headshot/Philips Norelco, Tyler Le/BI
Adam Scott always knew he wanted to become an actor. He grew up in the '70s and '80s, the era of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, hooked by movies like "Star Wars," "Indiana Jones," and "E.T." As a kid, he gravitated toward watching or reading about movies and TV shows. "As I've become an adult and gotten older, I've developed other interests," he told me in an interview.
A few decades later, Scott, 51, is doing the work his childhood self dreamed of. As a sitcom fanatic myself, I know him best as the state auditor Ben Wyatt in "Parks and Recreation" and the demon Trevor in "The Good Place," but others may know him from his roles in Will Ferrell's comedy "Step Brothers," the cult phenomenon "Party Down," and the dark comedy series "Big Little Lies."
Most recently, Scott starred as Mark Scout in the critically acclaimed Apple TV+ drama "Severance," a role for which Scott received an Emmy nomination for outstanding lead actor in a drama series in 2022. The season-two return of "Severance" has been eagerly anticipated by fans and is set to begin January 17.
When he's not shooting scenes, Scott still has a full plate. He's hosted multiple band-themed podcast series with his fellow actor Scott Aukerman; campaigned for Kamala Harris in her 2024 presidential bid, which he shared on Instagram with his 1 million followers; hosted Ryan Reynolds' physical game show, "Don't"; started a production company called Gettin' Rad Productions with his wife, Naomi; and this year became the face of Philips Norelco.
I chatted with Scott about feeling as if he's never had an "I made it" moment, working with his wife on their production company, advice for his younger self, and his hopes for his kids' future.
Business Insider: You've previously mentioned that you spent the first 15 years of your career "hanging on by a piece of floss." Was there an "I made it" moment in your career when you finally realized you were floss-free?
Adam Scott: I don't have an "I made it" moment. I don't know if anyone ever does in show business. There's the constant fear in the back of your mind at the end of every job that you're never going to work again, and I think that's something that stays with you no matter what level you're at.
Getting "Parks and Rec" gave me some stability that I had never really experienced in my 15 years in the industry prior, but that stability still felt temporary, and I was ready for it to be snatched away at any moment.
I've had too many experiences over the years where things don't work out, and I think any actor has that feeling. Entertainment is so high stakes, but it's also low odds. It's a tough business; if you can make a living in entertainment, then you're lucky, but you're always kind of worried about what's around the next corner.
You're a real Renaissance man — hosting your podcast, doing brand partnerships, being politically involved, hosting a game show, and running your production company with your wife, Naomi. Does your decision to expand beyond acting stem from this search for stability or something else?
That's interesting — maybe that's part of it. I'd never really thought of it like that before, but you may be onto something.
I find producing satisfying because it relates directly to my and Naomi's interests. We love watching movies and shows — we have some differing tastes and also share certain tastes. Producing feeds directly into that because you get to shepherd projects along from something that may just be an idea and watch it grow and then be something that's actually out there in the world for people to hopefully enjoy. That's really satisfying.
Also, I find making the thing, and doing everything you can to try to make it better, satisfying and incredibly challenging.
It strikes me how different your "Severance" character Mark's life is from your own. Mark's personal and work lives are so separate, whereas yours are quite intertwined. Do you and Naomi have any rules you follow around mixing personal and work lives, or advice for other couples who work together?
My advice is to try it out before you dive in headfirst. Our first project together was a series of specials for Adult Swim. I directed them with a friend of mine, Lance Bangs, and Naomi and I produced it together. We ended up working really well together.
But you never know. You can have a perfectly healthy, strong marriage and not work together particularly well. We were ready for that, but it just turned out that we do work together really well and enjoy working together and getting to spend that time together.
That would be my advice: Try it out first — give it a maiden voyage and be ready to jump ship for the sake of your relationship.
Can you share the best and worst business decisions you've made in your time in Hollywood?
My partnership with Philips Norelco is something I'm proud of. They're lovely people, and believing in the product is also incredibly important. I was already an enthusiastic customer when this opportunity came together, so it felt like a natural fit.
As far as bad business decisions go, I'm always trying to avoid those. Sometimes you just have to take a flier and invest in something that you believe in, and it doesn't always work out. What people might think of as bad business decisions are sometimes just the cost of doing business.
If you could go back in time to the Adam who was hanging mid-floss, what advice would you give to your younger self?
I would advise young Adam to go out and live life a bit and not worry quite so much about his career, what's coming next, or what happened. I would advise him to get out into the world and experience it.
Looking forward 10 or 20 years from now, is there anything you definitely want to add to your list of accomplishments?
I'm watching my kids get older — they're teenagers now and my son's getting ready to go to college. When I look to the future, I think about them more than anything — what they're going to do and the world they're going to live in.
That's a large reason I get active politically whenever and wherever I do — thinking about what they will be living in. As far as the future goes, I'd like to maintain a living in entertainment, but mostly I'm concerned with my kids and their future.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images, Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
The leaders of President-elect Donald Trump's government efficiency commission provided more details on how they plan to reduce head count across government agencies.
In an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal Wednesday, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, a former GOP presidential candidate, laid out their vision for a new Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Musk and Ramaswamy said DOGE, working with the Office of Management and Budget and other agencies, would advise Trump on rescinding regulations and cutting administrative costs, which would result in layoffs across federal agencies.
"DOGE intends to work with embedded appointees in agencies to identify the minimum number of employees required at an agency for it to perform its constitutionally permissible and statutorily mandated functions," Musk and Ramaswamy wrote, adding that the number of employees cut should be proportionate to the number of federal regulations that Trump rescinds.
"Employees whose positions are eliminated deserve to be treated with respect, and DOGE's goal is to help support their transition into the private sector," they wrote. "The president can use existing laws to give them incentives for early retirement and to make voluntary severance payments to facilitate a graceful exit."
The two also floated the idea of requiring federal employees to come into the office five days a week, which they argued could lead to "a wave of voluntary terminations that we welcome: If federal employees don't want to show up, American taxpayers shouldn't pay them for the Covid-era privilege of staying home."
Musk suggested at a town hall in October that he would consider giving laid-off workers "very long severances" that could amount to two years' pay, saying at the time that "the point is not to be cruel or to have people not be able to pay their mortgage or anything."
Data from the Treasury Department showed that the US spent $6.75 trillion in fiscal year 2024, with the Department of Health and Human Services, the Social Security Administration, and the Department of Defense topping the spending lists. The federal government is the largest employer in the US, with a workforce of over 2 million Americans, so the DOGE commission's suggestions could have wide-ranging implications.
DOGE would target "$500 billion plus in annual federal expenditures that are unauthorized by Congress," Musk and Ramaswamy wrote, which they said could include nearly $300 million to "progressive groups like Planned Parenthood."
The commission would not have the power to cut spending independently. Changes to many programs, including mandatory ones such as Social Security and Medicare, would have to be made through legislation with congressional approval.
Are you a federal worker with thoughts on DOGE? Reach out to this reporter at [email protected].
