In the last couple of years, Adam Scott has become one of the hardest working and most in-demand actors, appearing in dozens of movies and TV shows before settling into the ensemble cast of NBC’s “Parks and Recreation.” If you’ve seen any of Scott’s movies during that time–from the hit studio comedies Knocked Up and Step Brothers to the indie dramas August or The Vicious Kind–you may have some idea of his range, but Jennifer Westfeldt’s Friends With Kids gives Scott the type of spotlight role that proves unequivocally that he should be playing more leading roles in Hollywood.
Westfeldt, who wrote and starred in the 2002 indie hit Kissing Jessica Stein, plays Julie to Scott’s Jason, platonic best friends for 15 years who watch as their friends’ marriages deteriorate as kids are introduced into the equation. They get the crazy idea to have their own baby, thinking that not having a romantic relationship means they can share caretaking duties without it affecting their friendship. It works out at first as they commit themselves to their new son Joe, but as they each find new partners–Jason with Megan Fox’s Mary Jane, Julie with Ed Burns’ Kurt–their relationship starts being affected.
Scott and Westfeldt are great on screen together, but it’s also one of the better scripts of the year as Westfeldt finds a unique and refreshing way into the well-covered subject of relationships, marriage, sex and having kids that’s as funny and raunchy as any of Judd Apatow’s comedies. Not only that but Westfeldt’s long-time partner (and the film’s co-producer) Jon Hamm brought in three of his Bridesmaids co-stars–Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Chris O’Dowd–to play Jason and Julie’s married friends who are at first dubious of their plan then become jealous of the way they seem to have figured things out.
Earlier this week, ComingSoon.net sat down with Adam Scott, who had just finished filming the season finale of “Parks and Recreation” and was taking a week off before starting to film Stu Zicherman’s A.C.O.D. next week, both things we discussed in the video interview below. Mostly, we talked about how he learned about the project from his long-time friends (who gave him a great make-out scene with Megan Fox to boot) and how the project came together and evolved before shooting, as well as the luck of working with four of the cast of one of 2011’s biggest comedy blockbusters. We also spoke about why he tends to veer towards ensemble casts in the work he does, how he has become better known for doing comedy following his stint in Step Brothers, the future of “Parks and Recreation” and much, much more!
