"It's on fire"— When Adam Scott made his feelings clear about managing work-life balance

Adam Scott appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on February 18, 2022, to promote the first season of his Apple TV+ series, Severance. The popular actor has previously starred in shows such as Big Little Lies, Parks and Recreation, Party Down, and Ghosted.

Scott shared that the show centers around splitting an individual's memories into their work life (innie) and non-work life (outie) by inserting a severance chip in their brain. The severed individual leads two separate lives that are completely disconnected from each other, leading to a unique take on the elusive work-life balance.

While discussing the topic of work-life balance with the host Stephen Colbert, Adam Scott mentioned the only way he can get some quality time with his family is by setting his phone on fire. He went on to say:

"If I needed to really get away, I would have to set my phone on fire and put it in a drawer while it's on fire. That's the only way I would be able to spend quality time," he said.

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Adam Scott's kids approve of his role in Severance

Adam Scott has been married to the producer Naomi Sablan since 2005 and they are parents to two kids - a daughter named Frankie and a son named Graham. He told Us Weekly in January 2022 that his children were fans of the hit Apple TV+ series:

"They're teenagers now so actually Severance has really connected with them. They love it. It's the first time they've ever been interested at all in something I've done, at least that they've admitted to me. But they really do love it. I think they just never wanna watch anything I'm in because they get enough of me at home."

In Severance season 1, Adam Scott plays the lead role of Mark Scout. He gets severed after his wife Gemma's death to escape the pain of her loss for eight hours a day while working at Lumon Industries. The innie Mark works at the company's Macrodata Refinement division alongside his co-workers Dylan G., Irving B., and Helly R.

Due to the nature of the severance procedure, the innies are stuck in a perpetual cycle of work and have no life outside the severed floor. However, they manage to get a glimpse of their outies's lives through the overtime contingency, which leads them to shocking revelations about Lumon.

The series is created and primarily written by Dan Erickson, while most of its episodes are directed by Ben Stiller. It was filmed during the pandemic and became a runaway success upon its release, earning both critical and commercial acclaim. Spanning nine episodes, season 1 aired between February 18, 2022, and April 8, 2022.

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Adam Scott reprised his role in Severance season 2

Adam Scott was last seen in Severance season 2, which premiered on January 17, 2025, and aired its finale on March 20, 2025. The show's second outing focuses on the lives of the innies and their respective outies by showcasing them as separate individuals. Furthermore, Mark's innie and outie find themselves on a collision course due to their love for Helly and Gemma respectively.

Adam is joined by a talented cast comprising Britt Lower, Zach Cherry, Dichen Lachman, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, Tramell Tillman, Patricia Arquette, Jen Tullock, and Gwendoline Christie, among others.

Severance season 2 was widely praised and received a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 207 critic reviews. Additionally, the series was renewed for a third season on March 21, 2025.

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All episodes of Severance seasons 1 and 2 can be streamed on Apple TV+.