Adam Scott recalled the hilariously unsettling way fellow Parks and Recreation actor Aubrey Plaza greeted him when he officially joined the NBC comedy series cast in 2010.
His anecdote was featured in a new book by Jim O'Heir, who played Jerry on the show, called Welcome to Pawnee: Stories of Friendship, Waffles, and Parks and Recreation.
After the first table read for the show, Scott recalled breathing "an audible sigh of relief."
But then, things took a turn when Plaza approached him afterward and non-verbally communicated a message of urgency.
"Aubrey came up to me and passed me a note that was folded up very tight," said Scott.
He continued by referring to a scene from Martin Scorsese's 2010 neo-noir psychological thriller.
"Do you remember the movie 'Shutter Island' where Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo go to the mental hospital, and I think someone passes them a note?"
"At the time it was a famous moment that had just happened in a famous movie—and Aubrey’s note said 'Run,' just like in the movie."
Plaza's notorious brand of dark sarcasm wasn't lost on the 51-year-old
Severance star, who found humor in the ominous note and felt like he was already part of the gang.
"It was a perfect welcome note," said Scott.
His encounter with Plaza was also shared on a Reddit thread where users were amused by Plaza's hijinks.
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Here's a past example of her dark humor seen while accepting an award.
Here's Today show host Hoda Kotb recalling the time she tried to keep it together while Plaza, who was a guest on the show, channeled being a witch the entire time.
According to
Entertainment Weekly, Scott's appreciation of Parks & Rec prior to joining the cast was noted in the book, which mentioned he "was a big fan of the show, an avid watcher of it."
Unsurprisingly, Scott was already familiar with Plaza's deadpan wit embodied in her character, April Ludgate.
In Welcome to Pawnee, showrunner Michael Schur confirmed her comically shady reputation by describing Plaza as an "agent of chaos."
Before joining Parks & Rec, Scott had wrapped the second season of the Starz comedy series Party Down and was uncertain of it getting renewed for a third season, so he kept his options available.
"I think it was a year before I actually auditioned that I told my agent that I wanted to be part of it," he said.
When Party Down didn't get renewed, Parks creator Greg Daniels created a new character for Scott, and the rest is history.
Scott made a guest appearance in Parks' second season before becoming part of the main cast for the remainder of the show's seven-season run.
He played Ben Wyatt, the socially awkward state auditor who eventually becomes the love interest of Amy Poehler's character, Leslie Knope.
Welcome to Pawnee: Stories of Friendship, Waffles, and Parks and Recreation was released on November 19, 2024.
The book is described as one that "brings fans a heartfelt behind-the-scenes look at one of America’s most beloved sitcoms, brimming with never-before-told stories featuring the cast and crew, along with dozens of unseen photos!"
