Memories From The Set: Parks' Adam Scott Reminisces About Boy Meets World, ER And More

ER

One of Scott's first jobs ever found him face-to-face with a then on-the-cusp TV star, George Clooney. "It was the first season of ER, so it was a pretty big," he recalls. "Everyone was discovering it, and George Clooney was on the cover of TV Guide as this new star. I was sitting outside waiting to work and he was playing basketball with a bunch of dudes. I remember just thinking, 'God, this dude is on the cover of TV Guide! He just looks like he doesn't care.'" Adds Scott with a laugh: "If I was on the cover of a magazine, I'd be celebrating."

Boy Meets World

"It's weird, Boy Meets World has kind of turned into a thing now," Scott laughs, referring, of course, to Disney's upcoming sequel series Girl Meets World. "At the time, it was on Friday nights at 8 pm. So, no one I knew even knew what it was. It was for kids. So, it was a thrill to be on a TV show briefly, but it was not like I ever got recognized for it." However, jokes the actor, "If I had known then that in 20 years" the series would enjoy such a revival, "I probably would have been more psyched about it."

Murder One

"Murder One was awesome!" Scott gushes of his recurring role on Steven Bochco's buzzy 1995 legal drama. "It was such a great job. And it was a big deal, because that was going to be the huge show of that season." And then? "Well, then it tanked," he laughs. "But I was on it for about six episodes. I got to work with Mary McCormack, who was super cool, and a bunch of people. I was just really, really green and did not know what I was doing. Eventually, they were just like, 'All right, we'll just get rid of this stupid character.' Which is what they did — and is what they should have done."

Party of Five

Booking a recurring role on Party of Five was "a big score" for Scott because it "was the first time I did a show that I was already a fan of." Originally, Scott had been in contention for the role of Neve Campbell's character's boyfriend – a part that went to Scott Bairstow – so the actor ended up playing "the nerd that has a crush on her for the season. They gave me the leftover part, which was still great... I got to go to San Francisco to shoot a scene, and for whatever reason, that was a big deal. I think it was the first time I ever traveled for work."

Wasteland

Kevin Williamson's 1999 sudser was another one that was "hyped as the big show of the fall season, and then it was over in a few episodes," Scott recalls. That said, this is one of the more "important" parts in the star's history because it "was the first time I was finally able to relax and get comfortable in front of the camera. Before that, it was just guest spots where you're really freaked out the whole time. With this, though, they told me, 'We're gonna keep you around for a while.' They really wrote to me [as an actor] for the first time." A little Wasteland trivia, courtesy of Scott: "You know who was a writer on that? [Lost's] Damon Lindelof. He and [The Vampire Diaries'] Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson – they were all really, really great to me... I'm glad you brought this show up."

Wonderfalls

For those who don't remember Scott from Bryan Fuller's cult series, fret not: He was only part of an unaired pilot. "Here's what happened," explains the actor: "I got a role as a guest star in the pilot. I was friends with the director, Todd Holland, and he told me: 'Look, this is a role that will become a series regular, but we can't afford it for the pilot" — which happens all the time with pilots. So, we shot the pilot, and it was awesome, but then between shooting the pilot and the show getting picked up, I got a small role in The Aviator. So, ultimately, I had to bail on Wonderfalls."

Six Feet Under

For Scott, being cast on the HBO drama as a love interest for Michael C. Hall's leading man was pretty major. "It was like having a part in a big movie if you got on Six Feet Under," he shares. "You know how I got that role? It was me, Michael C. Hall and Jeremy Sisto testing for the role that Michael ultimately got... He and I got to know each other a little bit [during the casting process], and then six months later, they had me come in to play his boyfriend for two episodes."

Veronica Mars

Scott's Mars gig may have been short, but it was certainly sweet. "[Creator] Rob Thomas and [producers] Dan Etheridge and John Enbom are really good friends of mine, so that role was just fun," he tells us, laughing: "I was the gross teacher who had an affair with Leighton Meester."

Law & Order

Everyone who's anyone in Hollywood has a Law & Order story, and here's Scott's. "We rehearsed one of our scenes in Dennis Farina's dressing room, and that was actually really cool," he recounts. "He was a Chicago cop in real life, so he had all this Chicago Police Department memorabilia all over the place. Plus, I'm a big Dennis Farina fan, so that was great."

Tell Me You Love Me

Fans who've come to know and adore Scott as Ben Wyatt on Parks and Recreation or loved to hate his helicopter-leasing jackass in the film Step Brothers might be surprised to know that he starred on the intense HBO drama. The premise, playfully summed up by Scott : "It was all emotional devastation." That said, "I loved doing that show," he shares. "Sonya Walger and I worked together the whole time, and she was amazing. It was draining at the time, but now that it's been a few years, I think back on it fondly. But it was tough. I think one season was the perfect amount of time to be on that show."

Party Down

"Party Down was just this perfect, magical combination of people, and it was such a blast all the time," Scott says of the Rob Thomas-helmed comedy about catering waiters/wannabe actors. "My recollection of that show is all great. I really miss it."

Eastbound & Down

Scott couldn't stop pinching himself during his two episodes spent on the Danny McBride-fronted HBO comedy. "We shot the Season 2 episodes in Puerto Rico, and we were in this baseball stadium –- just me, Danny and Matthew McConaughey — doing a scene," he laughs. "I was just thinking, 'I'm in Puerto Rico with McBride and McConaughey — what the hell is happening?!' Those guys are the best. They're hilarious and great writers, too."

Which of Scott's previous roles are your favorites? Did any come as a complete surprise? Sound off in the comments!