Actor Adam Scott revealed he drew inspiration from Ted Danson's Cheers character Sam Malone while preparing to play a bartender on the comedy series Party Down. In a recent podcast appearance, Scott described mimicking Malone's on-set habits to enhance his performance. Danson endorsed the technique, noting it improves authenticity in acting.
Adam Scott shared the acting tip during an appearance on Ted Danson's SiriusXM podcast Where Everybody Knows Your Name. As the bartender on the catering crew in Party Down, Scott struggled with downtime behind the bar. He told Danson, 'I just remembered everything you do on Cheers, and I just ripped it all off. Slicing lemons, washing shot glasses... Pop a pretzel in your mouth as you're walking over and talking to someone. Open a seltzer. Drink a seltzer.' Scott credited these small tasks with making his acting appear more natural, adding, 'Taking the lemons and putting them in a thing as you're talking makes the acting look so much better.' Danson agreed, saying, 'I find eating and drinking makes my acting better. Because you can't fake chewing. So you're tempted not to fake anything else.' Party Down debuted on Starz in 2009, centering on a team of jaded cater-waiters in Los Angeles, led by Scott as Henry Pollard alongside Lizzy Caplan, Ken Marino, Ryan Hansen, Martin Starr, and Jane Lynch. The show ended after two seasons due to modest ratings despite critical praise but returned in 2023 for a third season revival, with most of the original cast reprising their roles. Cheers, featuring Danson as ex-ballplayer Sam Malone, premiered on NBC in 1982 and ran for 11 seasons after early acclaim, including Emmy wins for best comedy series. Scott and Danson previously shared screen time on The Good Place, where Scott played demon Trevor and Danson portrayed Michael.