This meant that Ben Stiller had to “battle Apple” to get them to agree to cast Scott. That’s a dangerous move as it can potentially backfire and doom an entire project. In the end, Apple let Stiller cast who he wanted, and he was proven right.

Ben Stiller stuck up for Adam Scott in a way he's never known.

In the hit dystopian series on which Stiller is an executive producer and director, Scott plays Mark S., an employee of the sinister Lumon Industries who has undergone a "severance" procedure whereby he has no memory of his time at the office, effectively creating a split personality.

Stiller told The Hollywood Reporter that it was paramount he convince streaming platform Apple TV + to give Scott the chance to take on the character of Mark S. in the drama series. Stiller, who executive produces the show and directs several episodes, had previously directed Scott in his 2013 film “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.”