Adam Scott is best known for playing sweet, nerdy Ben Wyatt in Parks & Recreation, but many ofAdam Scott’s best rolesare characters who were jerks. Scott’s role as Derek Huff inStep Brothersshows how perfectly Scott can play a character who is both successful and sleazy. Currently, Scott is in Apple TV+ seriesLoot, where he plays tech mogul John Novak. It’s been a hit, with two seasons streaming andLoot’supcoming season 3on the way.
Scott’s character kicks off the events ofLoot. A billionaire many times over, John is married toLoot’s main character Molly Wells (Maya Rudolph), who catches John cheating on her at her birthday party. John thinks he can talk or bribe his way out of the scandal, but Molly leaves him and takes half of everything. Molly uses her billions to focus on her charity foundation, but Molly’s rejection of him makes John determined to win her back at any price.
Adam Scott’s John Novak From Loot Is Who His Step Brothers Character Would Become With Enough Money
John & Derek Both See Financial Success As The Measure Of A Worthwhile Person
Scott’s Derek Huff inStep Brotherssees himself as categorically better than his brother, Brennan Huff (Will Ferrell), because he has a high-powered job, bragging about bringing in over $550k that year. However, Derek’s wealth is nothing compared to John Novak’s net worth onLoot; Molly’s half in their divorce comes out to $87 billion. Thus, John Novak is exactly the type of person Derek would become if he had an ultra-high net worth. Derek and John both think they can buy their way out of anything, and mistreat the women in their lives because they feel entitled.
John and Derek both feel superior because of their material possessions, but that makes them bad people who disregard anyone who does not meet their limited definition of success.
In one ofStep Brothers’funniest scenes, Derek’s wife Alice (Kathryn Hahn) is so miserable that she falls in love with her new brother-in-law, Dale Doback (John C. Reilly), after hearing that he punched Derek in the face. In the reverse of this dynamic, John’s affair is the inciting incident inLootthat spurs Molly to care about making the world a better place, but John continually thinks he can win Molly back with increasingly elaborate gifts. Both John and Derek feel superior because of their material possessions, but that makes them bad people who disregard anyone who does not meet their limited definitions of success.
John Novak Is An Important Character In Loot (& Adam Scott’s Smarmy Charm Makes It Work)
Novak Needs To Be Superficially Charming But Also Immediately Hateable (Which Scott Pulled Off In Step Brothers)
Lootis about Molly’s growth post-divorce, but John is always a lingering specter. John needs to be superficially charming because the world adores him, but in private, his selfishness and egotism need to be evident. John believes he can outsmart or pay his way out of any situation, unlike Molly, who is putting in the work to become a more conscientious person. John is a foil to Molly, and his snide comment that “it’s easier to give away money than make it” shows he is missing the point of what is important to Molly now.
Pilot
Season 1, Episode 1
Molly catches John having an affair on her birthday with his younger assistant.
Hot Seat
Season 1, Episode 3
John appears in a TV interview saying how happy he is in his new relationship.
The Philanthropic Humanitarian Awards
Season 1, Episode 6
At a banquet for Molly, John derails her night when he implies he arranged for her to receive the award.
The Silver Moon Summer
Season 1, Episode 10
After a night of celebrating, Molly wakes up in bed with John.
Space for Everyone
Season 2, Episode 1
John steals the spotlight from Molly’s charity work when he announces on television he is going to go to space to win her back.
Mally’s
Season 2, Episode 5
John ruins Molly’s birthday by sending unsolicited presents, including a hologram of himself singing karaoke.
Mood Vibrations
Season 2, Episode 9
John undermines Molly’s charity when he states falsely on TV they are getting back together. He blows up a rocket ship (that everyone thinks he was on) to make her miss him.
John is crucial toLoot, but he is a layered character who only appears briefly in a handful of episodes a season. Scott is one of the rare actors who can imbue a character with the charm and magnetism that celebrity billionaires hold over the masses, while simultaneously showing how slimy he is behind the public persona. Scott brought the same suave composure to Derek inStep Brothersbut takes it to another level with John Novak inLoot, who will surely escalate his attempts to win Molly back inLoot’s season 3 renewal.
Step Brothers
Cast
Adam McKay, Will Ferrell, and John C. Reilly joined forces in 2008 to create this now iconic Comedy. The film sees two grown men that still live at home with their parents, forced to adapt to living with one another when their parents get married.
Loot
Loot is a comedy series that follows a woman named Molly Wells who divorces her wealthy husband, with the end result making her one of the wealthiest women in the world. Feeling a disconnect with the world at large, Molly decides to take the reins on a charity foundation she created years ago as a means to give back to the world and find her purpose.
