Ben Stiller's comedic taste has been made abundantly clear across his decades of work, and personally, I'm a fan of his unique sense of humor. Recently, he showed it off by retweeting a quietly funny, and random, moment from Step Brothers. Surprisingly, it also highlights an actor (who is connected to Stiller thanks to a show on the 2025 TV schedule) outside of Will Ferrell, and I'm so here for this!
The Adam McKay-directed moment Stiller loved highlights Derek (Adam Scott), Dale Doback (John C. Reilly), Dr. Robert Doback (Richard Jenkins) and Nancy Huff (Mary Steenburgen), among others. The scene takes place at the family dinner table while they wait on Brennan Huff (Ferrell). Self-obsessed Derek is in the midst of a crazy and extravagant fishing story when Dale interrupts him, masterfully the exchange bounces around the table after the posed question, only to land back on Derek, who has forgotten his place in the retelling.
The Severance director hyped it as one of the funniest scenes in all movies, ever. He seems to love the bit so much because of Scott’s performance specifically. The Parks and Rec star's demeanor in this small exchange does seem to rival his role on the Apple TV+ subscription show, Severance. Check it out for yourself below:
One of the funniest scenes in all of movies ever made in history of movies being made. https://t.co/xVI66YI7dZFebruary 18, 2025
It’s a part of Step Brothers that flies by if you aren’t paying attention to it. What, I’m assuming, Stiller found impressively funny about the scene is that Scott sticks to the same level of obnoxiousness through the whole conversation, even when his son pipes up. His character is even bold enough to tell Reilly’s character it’s possible he ruined the whole evening by asking the harmless question. The absurdity and subtlety within the 1:34 run is quiet comedy gold, and it teases at the realities of these types of familial dynamics that can be found around the dinner table.
Stepping back, and realizing that Ben Stiller is praising an early Adam Scott role, you can’t help but wonder if it helped the Parks and Rec alum land his Apple gig. This was long before Severance, but it still made some fans pose the curious question to the Zoolander star too. @LobstaFace tweeted:
Be honest Ben, how much did Adam's performance in this scene influence you casting him in Severance?
It’s no secret that Stiller fought for Scott's casting in Severance, and the big swing paid off. Little did the fans know this Step Brothers scene seems to be part of the reason why the director had such an affinity for the actor.
Stiller’s response to the question above was frank and definitive about the casting of the Big Little Lies alum, stating:
Completely. It’s when i knew he was an incredible actor.
You can stream new episodes of Severance Season 2 every Friday on Apple TV+.
It’s great to know that Scott's commitment and comedy chops within this goofy role helped him land his role on Severance. The Party Down actor really pulled off a great performance in this 2008 flick. From the unexpected but funny musical numbers he participated in, to that parted hair-do, Scott never backed away from delivering Derek’s nauseating personality with humor and wryness. And while Severance is a totally different beast, the actor still brings the same level of commitment to playing Mark too.
One thing is for sure, Ben Stiller knows comedy. For him to hype this innocuous Step Brothers scene is pretty cool, and it’s even better to know that it’s part of why Adam Scott landed Severance. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go rent Step Brothers to relive the comedic layers of this Adam McKay film.
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