Adam Scott revisited the audition that nearly pushed him out of the industry and explained how missing David Fisher on Six Feet Under shaped the next phase of his work. He shared the story on Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast, released on August 12, 2025, laying out what the loss felt like and why he now views it as a lesson in timing and readiness.
Adam Scott added context about watching the series take off while he stood on the sidelines. He also noted that he later returned to the show for a brief guest arc, which placed him opposite Michael C. Hall in a smaller role.
Sources reported the remarks as part of the current news cycle, which ties the anecdote to Adam Scott’s present-day visibility on Severance.
The podcast setting and the dates create a clean timeline for the setback, the short return, and the later lead role that anchors Adam Scott’s profile today.
Where Adam Scott said it, the Good Hang admission, and what it clarifies
Adam Scott shared the story on Good Hang with Amy Poehler, describing how close he came to quitting after the decision. As per an Entertainment Weekly report dated August 17, 2025, Adam Scott remarked:
“It wouldn’t be nearly as good if I had done it because he was perfect and incredible… He’s incredible and I wasn’t ready.”
Adam Scott stated the experience was “painful” and that “That was hard.” He also reflected on the value of setbacks, adding,
“It’s also important that you have those experiences.”
According to The Independent's report dated August 20, 2025, Adam Scott recalled reaching a breaking point, saying he considered whether to “read the tea leaves and walk away.”
The same report captures how the early-2000s HBO wave intensified the sting.
The role that slipped away - David Fisher and the early-2000s context
David Fisher became a central pillar of Six Feet Under. Michael C. Hall’s performance shaped the series across five seasons.
The show premiered in 2001 and concluded in 2005 after 63 episodes, which clarifies the stakes around the original casting.
The size and duration of the role show why the decision carried long-term consequences for any actor who was close.
The timeline also aligns with the period in which Adam Scott was building steady credits while looking for a breakthrough.
From rejection to Ben Cooper, Adam Scott’s full-circle cameo
The story did not end at the failed audition. Adam Scott returned in Season 2 as Ben Cooper for two consecutive episodes, tracked to March 31 and April 7, 2002.
The arc placed Adam Scott directly in David’s relationship lane, which added an unusual full-circle note to the near-miss.
The credits confirm the two-episode run and the character’s placement in the season. This step matters because it shows Adam Scott engaging the series from a new angle rather than walking away entirely.
The longer career arc of how the near-miss fits the path to Severance
The Good Hang conversation frames the audition as an inflection point rather than an endpoint. Adam Scott moved through steady television work before landing recurring and lead roles that defined the next decade.
That path includes Party Down, Parks and Recreation, and later prestige turns that culminated in Severance.
The coverage places his comments in the context of a lead performer reflecting on early failures during an ongoing high-profile run. The thread is consistent: readiness, resilience, and a return to difficult material when the fit is right.
Why does this still resonate?
Amy Poehler linked Six Feet Under to Parks and Recreation by noting how the former’s finale influenced the latter’s flash-forward structure.
That link connects the series Adam Scott narrowly missed to the series where Adam Scott became a central figure.
It places the rejection and the later success inside one creative lineage. The timeline from the early HBO era to Adam Scott’s present work on Severance shows how a single loss can coexist with later, well-documented gains.
Stay tuned for more updates.
Adam Scott in Good Hang podcast with Amy Poehler (Image via Youtube/@ Good Hang with Amy Poehler)