Adam Scott on His Facial Hair Heroes, ‘Severance’ Season 2 and His Stint as a Celebrity Dog Walker

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Adam Scott knows a thing or two about scene-stealing facial hair.

In Big Little Lies, his beard became the star of the show, with fans on social media weighing in on his face mane habits years later. His latest grooming-focused role? Philips Norelco’s newest celebrity ambassador.

The Severance actor stars in a new comedic campaign for the shaving company with his favorite travel-friendly electric razor playing a supporting role.

“Electric razors have always been something that I’ve wanted. It just always seemed like it’s such a handy thing to be able to do,” Scott tells The Hollywood Reporter. “I remember in movies, people would always be shaving with an electric razor in the car and stuff, and I just had never really tried it. I always figured I wouldn’t be as close as a regular razor. But now the technology that Philips Norelco has out there with their S9000, it really does shave as close as a razor. It’s bizarre! So I’ve always kind of wanted to find that right electric razor and never quite did until now.”

As far as his facial hair heroes, Scott has a few celebrity looks on his list.

“Keanu Reeves wears a really good beard. He always looks super good when he has a beard. Donald Glover looks great with a beard. That guy can really wear one. Boy, oh boy, I’m trying to think,” he says. “Robin Williams always looked good with a beard when he was doing a serious role, he would have a beard and he just looked so handsome and distinguished. I also love a mustache. I love the way a mustache looks … like a Doobie Brothers mustache.”

The Hollywood Reporter caught up with Scott to find out what made him say yes to working with Philips Norelco, what he eats for breakfast, if there’s any hope for a Parks and Recreation reboot and if he made good on that promise to walk a stranger’s dog.

You don’t often do brand partnerships. In fact, pro golfer Adam Scott mostly came up when I was researching. What made you say yes to this one with Philips Norelco?

it’s funny because just about a year and a half before this, I was working with a makeup artist who introduced me to the Philips Norelco OneBlade, and I’d seen it pop up in kits of makeup artists all over the place. I’ve been working with them and the ease of use is just outstanding. I find myself using it all the time, even to completely shave your face cleanly, but then also grooming and stuff, and it’s small and easy to travel with. So just as a coincidence, I had already been using this all the time, so it was a big kismet when they came calling.

How hands-on were you in creating the campaign?

Philips Norelco were just lovely to work with and incredibly collaborative. I got to work with my friends Jesse Peretz, who directed; and Chris Kelly, who wrote the spots. They’re friends of mine that I just love working with — they’re such funny, creative, smart people. So they kind of gave us free rein. All the material in the ads came from these conversations that Jesse and Chris and I would have, and Philips Norelco just sort of recorded it all and gave us the text of our conversations, and we just formed them from there. Chris really took it all and went away and came back with these great ideas for the spots.

So that story about shaving for the first time with your mom’s razor when you were 12 was true?

Yeah, that’s true! With the cap thing still on. And I had absolutely no hair on my face, so why not?

Last year you donated a dog walking session to help raise money for those affected by the writers strikes. Did you fulfill your doggy duty?

I did, and I took pictures and stuff and I don’t think we ever finished that sentence on social media. I remember it was when it was all announced that a bunch of us would be doing things for charity, the seem to tickle people. But I did end up going and walking the dogs with these really cool women. One woman got it as a gift for a friend of hers, and I just showed up at their apartment to walk the dog and freaked out the friend [who] didn’t know. We walked around for a couple of hours with the dog and it was super fun. I have pictures from it I took, I should put them out there.

I love dogs, so I’ll walk any dog. I don’t need to be paid. It doesn’t need to be for charity. I just like walking dogs. I have a couple of dogs and I miss them. I’ve been in New York for months, so I can’t wait to see ’em again.

I don’t know if Philips Norelco has anything for dogs, maybe that’s the next spot.

They don’t have dog grooming products. They should! That’s smart, it’s a good idea.

Seeing you in the return of Party Down made many of us Parks and Recreation fans hopeful for a reboot. Obviously there are other players involved in that, but what are your thoughts on if that opportunity presented itself?

Party Down was super fun, and I got to have a hand in sort of one of the five or six of us who kind of got to push that boulder up the hill and it was just such a blast. Parks and Rec is a completely [different thing] with Mike [Schur] and Amy [Poehler] and Greg [Daniels] and all of those wonderful people’s decision, and if they would ever be interested in doing something like that, it would be up to them.

But I mean, I would go get a sandwich with all of those people. I wouldn’t have to be shooting the show. I just love all of ’em so much. I mean, the show itself sort of had a real ending.

It was such a good ending.

We did do something over the pandemic where we all got back together and made an episode [to raise money for Feeding America]. I don’t know if there would ever be any more, but I mean, I really don’t know. I love the show and love all the people. It’s always fun seeing any of them. I haven’t seen the show in a long time just because I miss it and I feel like it would be sad to watch it, but it’s just such a lovely show and lovely group of people.

I read that filming just wrapped on Severance‘s highly anticipated second season. What can you share about it, or how do you think people will react?

I wish I could tell you and everybody about what’s coming up because it’s going to be so much fun. I can’t wait for people to see it, but I can’t say a word, but it’ll finally be coming out in the somewhat near future and I can’t wait for everyone to see it. That’s basically it. It was so much fun to make.

I and many other Severance fans will be patiently waiting.

Well, your patience doesn’t have to hold on too much longer.

What other projects do you have coming down the pipeline that you can speak about?

I’m going to go home and relax and not work for a little while and then kind of see where that takes me.

We’ve got a minute or so left, maybe this is where we fill it with some ice breaker questions. I should try to improv and just ask some “yes, and” questions.

I mean, I could try to come up with something that I think you may have been formulating a question about. I can come up with some just sort of generic answers and see if they could apply.

How about, what did you have for breakfast today? That’s always a fun one.

I had a smoothie, I have a smoothie every morning, and then I don’t eat until lunch time. You know Daily Harvest? They’re great. I had the almond one. The greens [smoothie] is really good.

Maybe that’s your next brand partnership?

That’s my next brand partnership, or maybe Philips Norelco will absorb them and then we can just all be one family.