Nick Offerman is best known for his role as the overly pragmatic, staunchly libertarian director of the Pawnee Parks Department, Ron Swanson, in the hit sitcom Parks and Recreation. The series was on air for seven seasons, and while it didn’t reach The Office popularity levels, it continues to be one of the most enjoyable mockumentaries out there. Parks and Rec starred Nick Offerman alongside Amy Poehler, Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Aubrey Plaza, Retta, Jim O’Heir, and Rob Lowe. Fans love Offerman’s character because of his many quotable lines. In an interview with Variety, Nick Offerman described the writing process behind his most famous lines in the TV series. “It’s always collaborative. It’s not a foot race where it’s clear who the winner was; it’s always much more of a relay situation. So I know I contributed a few snacks of wordage, mainly about Tammy and about a couple of the hunting terms. But that’s always been the case: Whenever they write out outdoor content or woodworking content or anything involving tools, they take a stab at it knowing that I will then make it more accurate so that my dad will not be ashamed of me. But it’s all very loose where often in the middle of a scene I’ll say, “Oh you know what? What if I say ‘deer fat’?” They had some other term about butchering an animal and covering Tammy in something, and deer fat seemed to create a more potent picture, but it’s all very collaborative. I’m not a world-class improviser like some of my castmates, and so I love helping the team to polish whichever particular construction we’re putting together, but it is all of us.” After Parks and Rec, Nick Offerman has appeared in different films and shows that have successfully detached his image from that of Ron Swanson. He’s also been involved in book writing and has spent most of his free time focusing on his love for woodworking. What has Nick Offerman been up to since his Parks and Rec days?
Nick Offerman’s projects
Offerman appeared in The Founder, portraying Dick Mcdonald, one of the brothers who developed the fast-food chain McDonald’s. Michael Keaton played Ray Kroc, who famously turned the small California restaurant into a national empire. In an interview with The Independent back in 2017, Offerman shared his thoughts about the drama behind the acquisition of the fast-food chain. “I think that this movie about Ray Kroc is timely because it points to the national malaise we are seeing. What is the result when you create a food business that is all flash and no substance? Yes you become very financially successful but you have no soul. How good can the karma be for a restaurant company that is not interested in serving healthy food to its customers?” He also appeared in season 2 of Fargo, playing the role of town lawyer Karl Weathers. When asked by EW what attracted him to join the comedy-drama, the actor answered, “I don’t get to shoot anybody in the face but I love the writing on that show,” Offerman said. “It’s a terrific show for actors and when I saw the first season I said, ‘Boy, if they would ever have me, I’d love to recite some of that Minnesota dialogue,’ and sure enough that’s what I’ll be doing.”
Other appearances of Offerman include a guest-star role on Brooklyn Nine-Nine as Frederick, an ex-boyfriend of Ray Holt. He’s also lent his voice to animated movies such as Lego Movie: The Second Part, Hotel Transylvania, and Ice Age. He voiced the character Metalbeard, a mechanized pirate and Master Builder in the Lego Movie. In his interview with Collider about the movie, the actor described what he appreciated the most about the film: “It’s full of hilarity, but the thing I love the most about this script is it has a really beautiful message. As you can imagine, it’s sort of primarily aimed at kids, but it’s the kind of film that is so universal. It’s like Willy Wonka or The Wizard of Oz where I think everyone’s just gonna love it. The funny stuff is insanely funny, and if you just look at the cast you know that we’re in for a treat, but it has a really beautiful message that I find really touching and that’s what attracted me to it the most.”
Offerman currently plays a lead role on the Netflix series Colin in Black and White. The show, created by Colin Kaepernick and Ava DuVernay (Selma), tells the story of former NFL player Colin Kaepernick and his experiences that led him to become a social justice activist. Offerman plays Colin’s adoptive father, with Mary Louise-Parker playing Colin’s mom. On his Twitter account, Offerman shared his excitement over the project: “I am powerfully chuffed to get to work with my heroes @ava @Kaepernick7! And to parent an American champion with the legendary Mary Louise Parker, no less.” Offerman also plays a role in Amazon’s Good Omens, having snagged the role through a text message from Neil Gaiman, who co-authored the novel on which the series was based. In his interview with USA Today, Offerman described the roller-coaster ride from being a fan of the book to actually playing a character in the adaptation. “If you had told me when I first read ‘Good Omens’ in the early ’90s that I would one day visit South Africa to giggle with Neil Gaiman at laptop-screened footage of ‘Dr. Who’ and David Frost dancing because I was essaying a role in the adaptation of said book, I would likely have offered to purchase some of whatever you must be smoking,” he said. “But here I am, still giggling at the luck of it.”
When he’s not working in front of the camera, Offerman writes books. “Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside” has been reviewed by Publisher’s Weekly, which had the following to write about Offerman’s tome: “Offerman extols the virtues of manual labor and communion with nature while denouncing “the dominant, white culture that… has been wrong in almost every way,” and vows to “listen to the grievances of the indigenous folks, the Black folks, the gay folks, [and] the Latinx families,” (via Barnes & Nobles).
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