Possibly one of the more awkward necessary evils of being an actor (or romantically involved with one) is the love scenes. It’s really just part of the job description, but when you’re asking people to tap into their emotions for their audience, it’s not exactly surprising that the actors’ real-life partners might have some jealousy creep in. Apparently this is even true for old pros like Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally, who have been married since 2003, as the actor recalled his own unexpected feelings about seeing his wife with Rob Lowe.
Nick Offerman and Parks and Recollection podcast host Rob Lowe co-starred on the fabulous NBC comedy Parks and Recreation, but years before Ron Swanson and Chris Traeger shared the screen with their polar opposite demeanors, Lowe appeared in a 1986 movie called About Last Night, which also featured Megan Mullally. Offerman explained on the podcast Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend that even as a teenager, he’d learned that if he was confident in his own fidelity, he had no reason to be jealous, and that was the attitude he carried into his relationship with Mullally as the two actors exchanged what Offerman called their “butcher’s bills”:
So when we covered who each of us had been with, one of the things that came up at some point was Megan had this supporting role in the movie About Last Night, and her role was mainly she played a friend of Demi Moore, and she had this scene where she had to try and seduce Rob Lowe and do this crazy French kissing scene with him at a bar. I’ve established that I’m cool with that subject matter and I shrugged it off and said, ‘That’s fine, I will make sure I’m satisfying our relationship.’
Nick Offerman certainly has a mature take on the subject, but I’d really expect nothing less from two veteran actors regarding roles they’d previously played, especially for the jobs that came before they even met. Unfortunately, Offerman’s stance was good only in theory, because when Conan O’Brien questioned whether he’d had a “moment of jealousy,” Offerman admitted he wasn’t quite so confident when he came face-to-face with the About Last Night scene in question. Offerman continued:
But then one day randomly, it came on TV, the movie. In fact, I think I heard her voice before I even saw it. I turned and watched this scene where, if there was an Olympics in French kissing, Megan would have taken home the gold. It was really upsetting, and I legitimately said to her, ‘Honey, do you love Rob Lowe?’ And she said no, but I was unsure that I could believe her.
Now, Rob Lowe is pretty easy on the eyes. For one, he never ages, and he’s got a confident smolder and gorgeous smile to boot. I bet there are few men out there who wouldn’t be intimidated seeing the 9-1-1: Lone Star actor with their woman. From Megan Mullally’s perspective, I can only imagine that Lowe was a pretty memorable “acting partner,” especially since she divulged the makeout sesh to Nick Offerman more than a decade after it happened.
The Party Down actress made quite a few guest appearances as Ron Swanson’s ex-wife Tammy 2 on Parks and Recreation, so that must have been literally the most awkward situation for Nick Offerman. Not that Megan Mullally and Rob Lowe shared the screen all that often — most of the time Tammy 2 was either torturing Ron or seducing him (often both at the same time).
Either way, it was a pretty funny admission from the Making It star, and proof that even the most fascinating and manliest of men can be taken down a notch by Rob Lowe. You can relive all of the Parks and Recreation hilarity on streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription. Also be sure to check out our 2022 TV schedule to see what new and returning shows are premiering soon!
