Adam Scott spoke to Rogue magazine about working with Reese on Big Little Lies, and the project of hers that made him seek her out to work with:

Scott has very much been a prominent part of Hollywood’s comedy community, appearing in fan favorite shows like Children’s Hospital, Eastbound and Down, Burning Love and most recently The Good Place, also created by Mike Schur. Which makes his latest notable endeavor Big Little Lies an interesting pick. Scott gives a powerful performance in the critically-acclaimed show, but it’s a clear, dramatic distinction from the comedic work that has defined much of his career.

“I was looking to try something different, specifically finding something pushing a little away from the comedy realm and then this show popped up,” Scott explained. “I actually reached out to [Reese Witherspoon] after I saw Wild, because I found that movie so moving and so beautifully shot and edited and her performance was astounding. So it was kind of a wish list group of people and luckily I got the gig, so if that’s all that came from this, that’s more than enough, just the experience of doing it. I’m really happy that people liked it.”

One of the main subplots of Big Little Lies is Scott’s character Ed, trying to prove his masculinity and hold his own against his wife’s ex-husband. Which is a bit of an interesting position for Scott, since he has played the bullying, douche bro character very convincingly in movies like Step Brothers and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. He can play the abuser just as well as the abused, and watching him onscreen might conjure some unpleasant memories of your own high school bully from years passed.

Rogue Magazine