How Growing Up Between 2 Santa Cruz Homes Shaped ‘Severance’ Star Adam Scott’s Journey to Hollywood

"Severance" star Adam Scott has opened up about his childhood growing up in Santa Cruz, CA, revealing how his parents' very different homes—and the city's famous beachfront boardwalk—helped shape his journey to Hollywood.

Long before Scott found fame on shows like "Severance" and "Parks and Recreation," he was splitting his childhood between two modest, single-story homes in the California coastal city after his parents divorced when he was just 5 years old.

"My parents lived in coastal Santa Cruz. They divorced when I was 5, so I divided my time between their houses," the 53-year-old "The Whisper Man" actor told the Wall Street Journal.

Despite their separation, Scott said his parents went to great lengths to shield him and his older siblings, David and Shannon, from any animosity.

"I never saw them argue, and they were careful to separate peacefully and not involve me or my older brother and sister, David and Shannon," he recalled.

Scott's mother, Anne, lived in a "small, one-story white craftsman" and worked as a special education teacher at the high school her son attended, he told the Wall Street Journal.

His father, Dougald, meanwhile, resided across town in a "brown, one-story house" while teaching marine biology at nearby Cabrillo College.

For Scott, having his mother working at his school wasn't the embarrassing experience some teenagers might expect.

"Running into my mom at school wasn't an issue. She was the cool mom," he said.

Her home also became a welcoming space for Scott and his friends, with the actor recalling that she wasn't particularly concerned about policing their language. "At her house, she let my friends and me curse as much as we wanted. They loved her," he revealed.

Scott also credits his mother with understanding creativity in a way that would ultimately play an enormous role in his life.

"She was also an incredible illustrator with an artistic streak, so she understood that side of me," he explained.

Despite growing up in a city synonymous with sand, surf, and the Pacific Ocean, Scott didn't feel particularly at home within Santa Cruz's beach culture.

"I didn't fit in socially. I was overweight and didn't hang at the beach or surf," he admitted. There was another reason the ocean held little appeal for him: "I had seen 'Jaws' way too early."

Instead, Scott gravitated toward movies, spending his free time in theaters and at the video-rental store. "I also spent time alone trying to figure out who I was and how to present myself," he recalled.

His fascination with movies intensified after seeing one of Harrison Ford's most iconic films.

"The 1981 movie 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' with Harrison Ford, transformed me," Scott said. "After my friend and I saw it, I ran to the phone at his house and called my mom to tell her how much I loved the film."

Scott was also able to witness a little bit of Hollywood magic much closer to home thanks to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

"The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in California was exciting when I was growing up—but not for the reasons you'd think," he said.

"It was a noisy, fun place for summer tourists, but for me it was a job." Scott started working at a candy store there when he was just 12, initially taking on dishwashing duties.

"At 12, I washed dishes at a boardwalk candy store for two years before moving up to make saltwater taffy from scratch," he recalled. But it wasn't simply his job at the boardwalk that left a lasting impression.

The attraction also served as a filming location for several major movies during the 1980s, including Clint Eastwood's "Sudden Impact," "The Sting II," and "The Lost Boys."

"They became my inspirational bridge to show business," Scott said.

Although Scott was becoming increasingly fascinated by acting, he initially wasn't eager to let his classmates know.

"In middle school, I kept my acting dream a secret. The kids in drama then were outcasts," he explained.

Still, he secretly auditioned for a production of "Cheaper by the Dozen"—despite having never appeared in a school play before—and landed the lead role.

The scale of what he'd signed up for didn't fully register until shortly before opening night.

"A week before our first performance, my mom saw how many lines were highlighted for me in the script. She said, 'Wow, have you memorized these yet?' I hadn't," Scott recalled.

His mother immediately stepped in. "So for an entire day she read lines with me, and I memorized the entire role," he said. Scott avoided acting during his freshman year of high school, when he said the stigma surrounding theater was "even bigger."

By his sophomore year, however, he found himself being pulled back toward the stage. Drama teacher Cathy Warner encouraged him to audition for "Blue Denim," and Scott once again landed the lead. From that point forward, theater became a major part of his high school experience—although staying involved came with an academic requirement, and he needed to maintain a 2.0 GPA to remain in the program.

Whenever he questioned whether he could actually make acting his career, his teacher offered a simple response. "You're an actor. You can do it now or later, but that's what you are," she told him.

After graduating in 1991, Scott left Santa Cruz to spend two years studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles. He then moved to Hollywood, but the career he'd dreamed about as a child didn't materialize immediately. Scott initially found work as an extra before slowly graduating to small speaking parts.

Being cast in Martin Scorsese's 2004 movie "The Aviator" appeared to be a major breakthrough, only for another period without consistent work to follow. His fortunes began to change with roles in the 2008 comedy "Step Brothers" and the 2009 sitcom "Party Down," followed by a major part in "Parks and Recreation" in 2010.

"Determination kept me going," Scott said of his years trying to establish himself. "I was never a particularly confident person, but I knew I could do this and didn't have anything else I could do as well," he admitted.

Perhaps one of the most poignant signs that his years of uncertainty were coming to an end arrived after Scott secured what he described as his first substantial movie role in "High Crimes" in late 2000.

These days, Scott has created his own family home in Hollywood with his wife, producer Naomi Scott, and their two children. The family moved into their 1920s Tudor in 2014, and a decade-plus later, Scott remains enamored with the property.

"We love it here. The space is cozy and historic," he said. The interiors are contemporary and were created with designer Amy Kehoe, whom Scott described as "brilliant."

But his favorite area isn't inside the Tudor at all. Asked to name his favorite spot at home, Scott chose the backyard.

"It's quiet, serene and green," he said. And when he does venture away from his Hollywood home, Scott has another activity that allows him to escape the noise of the entertainment industry: fly-fishing on Idaho's Snake River.

"It helps me relax and focus," he said.