TV

Adam Scott reveals Party Down revival is 'completely different' from that failed movie

"The movie script was really funny and really good, and the Party Down fans would love it, but there was something missing," the actor tells EW.

By

Sydney Bucksbaum

Published on February 23, 2023 11:00AM EST

Party Down fans are having fun (yet), because after a long 13 years, the beloved comedy is finally back.

The Starz series about a group of Hollywood cater waiters in pink bowties was originally canceled after season 2 aired in 2010. A few years later, the creative team tried to revive the project as a movie, but when that ultimately didn't work out, many believed that Party Down had served its last party.

Over a decade later, series star Adam Scott can't believe that he's actually getting to don a pink bowtie once more as failed actor-turned-server Henry Pollard for Starz's six-episode Party Down revival, a.k.a. the long-awaited season 3. "How crazy is that? I still can't believe it either, it's so weird," Scott tells EW. "It's now cliche because there's so many reboots and whatever, and people are always like, 'This is so surreal,' so it feels like worn out to say all that stuff, but it really was."

The first day on set for the limited series revival threw Scott right back into the world of Party Down, as almost the entire original cast returned for the premiere episode, and he was shocked at how emotional he got. "When we're all there, and everyone's standing in a row, I realized how I much I missed these people, even though we see each other and keep in touch," Scott says. "Everyone being together at once, playing these characters again, I also realized how much I missed these bonkers characters that they all play so well. It was an emotional moment when I realized that, and Henry also realizes how much he misses these people — he hasn't see these people in 10 years — so it was really a terrific moment."

Below, Scott dives deep with EW about returning to Party Down all these years later, how the new season is "completely different" from that failed movie, and more.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When Party Down was originally canceled, did you ever imagine that you could be playing this character again?

ADAM SCOTT: From the moment we were canceled, we were always talking about and trying to figure out how to do more, how to get back together. In 2010, it wasn't really in the cards, because we had just been canceled, that's when we starting talking about a movie which ended up falling apart in 2012. Then we started talking about maybe doing some episodes, but streaming wasn't quite as prevalent as it is now, so that went away. For about 3 or 4 years it was just never going to happen, and we weren't even talking about it anymore. But the Vulture reunion [in 2019] kicked it off of us thinking about it again for real.

Was that potential movie similar to these new episodes? Or was it a completely different story?

This is a completely different story. The movie script was really funny and really good, and the Party Down fans would love it, but there was something missing. My opinion has always been that part of the genius, the brilliance was just the device of the show, the hook where every episode is a new party, new circumstances, new obstacles, new cast of characters. We get to see our gang in a different place every episode, and it's just perfect; a party a week. With the movie, that goes out the window. When the movie fell apart, we decided that if we were going to end up doing something, it should be more episodes, because that's part of the magic of the show. I would love to see the movie too — but it's not like this new season.

When did you first start to realize this new season of Party Down was actually happening?

[Creators] Dan [Etheridge], John [Enbom], Rob [Thomas], and Paul [Rudd] and I would every once in a while start email chains like, "What do you think? Should we maybe think about doing this?" It was something we all talked about over the intervening 13 years, but this coalesced a bit more after we did the Vulture reunion. By January 2021, the five of us started getting together for these weekly Zooms where we would sit down and just chat for an hour or two.

Because so much time had passed, where do you start as far as a new season goes? You start by just talking, throwing every idea out there for all the characters, for ideas for what could happen, for different parties, all that stuff. We did this four or five times, John's taking notes, and then John went away and took what we talked about and formed it into something. That's what a brilliant guy he is, he took those sessions of just vomiting ideas and crafted a season out of it.

When the new season picks up, how has Henry changed since we last saw him?

Something that was important to all of was that, because it's been like 14 years, we're all older, and as you get older, you tend to think about and feel things differently. You feel a little bit more comfortable with yourself, a little less angst-y about everything. There are still problems and issues with everyone's everyday lives, but as you move into your 40's, you just deal with it differently. That's reflected in all the characters, and it was important that Henry be in a place, when we find him, where he's okay with who he is and where he's ended up. It's really nice that we find him in a place of being in the midst of a productive, somewhat happy life, and is doing something worthwhile. Whether or not that lasts, that's a different question.

As far as the big showbiz dream goes, I think Henry is really happy for Kyle and everything that's happening for him, but as far as for himself goes, it's in his rear-view mirror, way off in the distance, and he's fine with that. It's not an active sore spot like it was 10 years ago. It's more of something to just think back on and laugh about, and he's okay with that.

Lizzy Caplan is the only original cast member who didn't return for this season, so how does that impact Henry's love life this season since his romance with Casey was such a big part of the original run?

Lizzy really, really wanted to be a part of it, and was planning to, and then schedules just didn't work out. Just getting the cast we did together for those six weeks was a feat in engineering and scheduling, so when Lizzy couldn't do it, it was obviously a huge bummer. But I think the way John handled it, and the fact that Casey is absent because of success fits right into the Party Down mindset, and the way that success that has taken her away affects the characters is perfect for the world of the show. When someone becomes super successful in show business, it's hard to get away from that, so for Henry, if there's any incomplete relationship there, that's a person that you see on TV screens and magazine covers, so it might haunt you a little bit. That potential is really fun for the show. And also, part of the maturity of Henry is realizing that relationship wasn't meant to be. It wasn't right, it was something from 10 years ago that did not work out for very good reason. Henry has completely moved on, and is married, and that is a relic of his youth.

When Jennifer Garner's casting was announced, her character bio teased a potential new relationship with Henry. What was it like working with her this season to bring that dynamic to life?

I've always been a huge fan of Jennifer's and wanted to work with her, and had never even met her. When we were talking about the character in Evie, Jennifer Garner was one of the people we thought of like, "Someone like Jennifer Garner" — she's the epitome of who this character is, someone with poise and sophistication, and super funny — but never thinking that Jennifer Garner is someone we would actually get to be on Party Down. We were talking about her so much, so why don't we just throw it her way, and when she passes, we'll figure out who is actually going to play this role? Little did we know, she likes Party Down and said yes pretty quickly. It took us all by surprise, and we realized, "Wow, we need to get our s--- together, Jennifer Garner's going to be on the set and we're all idiots! Let's make sure everything's legit, because there's a real professional coming." But she was so fun and so cool and hilarious, I just loved working with her.

Party Down season 3 premieres Friday, Feb. 24 on Starz.

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