The Summer I Turned Pretty star Tom Everett Scott breaks down his messy character Adam Fisher ahead of the Season 3 finale. (Photo illustration: Liliana Penagos for Yahoo News; photo: Presley Ann/Getty Images)For most of his career, Tom Everett Scott has portrayed characters you side with. Then The Summer I Turned Pretty came along."I usually do nice guy and fun, funny, goofy dad," he tells Yahoo Entertainment. "And this was: 'Oh, this guy's not likable.'"The actor, 55, is talking about his scene-stealing role on Prime Video's young adult series, where he plays Adam Fisher - a character so emotionally reckless, and sometimes just downright cruel, he's someone you may actually find yourself rooting against.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdam may not be in every scene, but when he shows up, he leaves damage in his wake. He pits his sons, Conrad and Jeremiah, against each other. He brings champagne from a canceled wedding to a family gathering - before cutting his son off financially. He had an affair while his wife was dying of cancer. In a show full of emotional landmines, Adam might be the biggest one.
Taking on the show's most hated dadWhen the role of Adam Fisher was offered to Scott, from That Thing You Do! and La La Land, he didn't exactly agonize over it. It came as a straight offer, meaning no audition, and he recognized it for what it was: a rare and meaningful vote of confidence."That is always just a feeling of like, 'Wow, how cool. I made it,'" he says.
Still, it didn't take long for his wife to flag what he was signing up for.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"She was like, 'Oh, these books are great,'" Scott recalls, before adding with a laugh, "And then she basically deadpanned, 'Your character is not a good guy.'"She wasn't kidding. In a show already packed with complex family dynamics, Adam somehow manages to stand out as the parent with the worst track record. Not just because he'll order surf and turf on someone else's dime, but because he's the king of passive-aggressive games. Some of his worst decisions aren't subtle: he had an affair with his secretary, Kayleigh, as his wife, Susannah, was dying of cancer. ("We cannot defend that one," Scott says. "It's impossible.") But as an actor, Scott says the messiness is part of the allure - especially when it's met with such a strong reaction from the show's fans."There's a serious obsession," he says of the TSITP fandom, explaining he had no idea how big it would become when he signed on. "I get it. I have obsessions. This is absolutely on a different level."Bonds beyond the screenWorking alongside a cast mostly in their 20s - many of them experiencing this level of fame for the first time - came with its own surprises. Scott expected to feel like "the old guy" in the bunch, but was quickly embraced.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"One of the coolest things to come out of this job was these relationships with these people. We really became this family," he says of his costars. "I know a lot of shows and movies say that, but I'm telling you. We went to the beach. We had poker nights at my house."Cast members of The Summer I Turned Pretty, with Scott (center), take a selfie. (Valerie Terranova/Getty Images for Prime Video)As a Gen X-er on a set full of Gen Z stars, Scott didn't expect to be folded so naturally into the group. What could have felt like a generational divide quickly turned into genuine friendships built on mutual respect and enjoyment."[My costars] Chris [Briney] and Sean [Kaufman] were like, 'Come play golf with us.' I was like, 'Really? You want me to come?'" Scott recalls.
Still, when it comes to the overwhelming online attention this season has received, Scott has stayed above the fray. He's happy to let the younger cast take the spotlight, telling me more than once, "They're the coolest kids in the world."AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFrom their very first table read over Zoom for Season 1, Scott was impressed with them."I loved the way they read, the way they handled themselves. It was just really good acting," he says.
Many of them come from strong creative backgrounds - performing arts schools or lifelong passion for the craft - and he says it shows. When I ask how his young costars are dealing with their newfound fame, he says, "They're all OK.""I mean, it's pretty intense. I didn't have it like this at all," he says.
Scott knows what it's like to be the new face in a breakout hit. Nearly 30 years ago, he starred in That Thing You Do! as earnest drummer Guy Patterson. He was handpicked for the role by Tom Hanks, who wrote, directed and costarred in the film.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"It was surreal," Scott says. "I wanted to be him. I memorized every move he made."Scott and Tom Hanks on the set of That Thing You Do! (20thCentFox/Courtesy of Everett Collection)Scott credits Hanks as his mentor in Hollywood. "He imparted so