Acclaimed actor Adam Scott recently revisited a peculiar chapter of his early career, revealing that he once auditioned for 2002’s Hellraiser VI: Hellseeker despite his character’s definitive demise in a previous installment of the horror franchise.
The Severance star originally made his feature film debut in 1996’s Hellraiser IV: Bloodline. In that film, he portrayed Jacques, the assistant to Mickey Cottrell’s Duc de L’Isle, a character who met a gruesome end at the hands of Angelique, played by Valentina Vargas.
During a recent appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Scott humorously recalled the details of his character's exit. “Things don’t go great. I think someone bites my face off,” he remarked. Despite the finality of that scene, Scott’s agent later secured him an audition for the sixth film in the series, Hellseeker.
Scott admitted that while he was fully aware of the continuity error, his need for work at the time outweighed his concerns. “I’m like, ‘Screw it,’ and I go to the audition just thinking, ‘Maybe they won’t notice that I was in Hellraiser IV,’” he shared. The situation became particularly tense in the waiting room when Scott spotted a producer from the fourth film. In a desperate bid to remain unrecognized, he attempted to hide behind his audition papers. “[I was] just like, ‘OK, if he doesn’t see me and they think I do a good job, maybe I’ll get in Hellraiser VI as well,’” he joked.
While he did not secure the part, Scott quipped that the rejection likely stemmed from his acting performance rather than the producers catching the character overlap. However, the actor has finally made his return to the horror genre in Damian McCarthy’s latest film, Hokum.
In Hokum, Scott plays Ohm Bauman, an author who travels to a remote region of Ireland to scatter his parents' ashes, only to find himself trapped in a potentially haunted rental property. The film received a lukewarm reception from critics, with some noting that the narrative felt aimless as it attempted to blend a murder mystery with haunted hotel tropes. Despite the critical response, the film features a notable soundtrack with contributions from artists such as Moby and Julie Lavery.
Beyond his work in horror, Scott also recently reflected on the legacy of Parks and Recreation, suggesting that the optimistic tone of the series might not have translated the same way had it been produced during the Trump era.