Amy Poehler Says the ‘Cameras Created Chemistry’ With Adam Scott on ‘Parks and Rec’

Amy Poehler gave insight into how she and Parks and Rec costar Adam Scott created their on screen chemistry.

“I did hear an actor’s tip one time that I thought was interesting. If you want to get chemistry with someone — and actually, Parks and Rec did this really well, which is the camera became my gaze, so, it caught me looking at Ben, played by Adam Scott, when Ben wasn’t looking,” Poehler, 53, recalled on the Monday, March 24, episode of her “Good Hang” podcast. “It created this vibe and vice versa. It was so much easier than direct eye contact.”

Poehler, who was discussing intimate scenes alongside fellow Parks and Rec alum Rashida Jones, added that she was told the “trick” of looking at your costar when “they’re not looking at you” is effective.

“Like, don’t try to do it with them at all,” she explained. “Just project all this fantasy stuff onto them when they’re not paying attention to you.”

When Jones, 49, asked if that worked in “real life” as well as on camera, Poehler quipped, “I’ve tried and the answer is no. The answer is hell no.”

Poehler portrayed Leslie Knope on the NBC comedy, which ran from 2009 to 2015. Scott, 51, joined as Ben Wyatt in season 2, and the twosome slowly went from adversaries to married couple throughout the show’s seven-season run. Jones played Leslie’s best friend Ann Perkins, who began the show dating Chris Pratt’s Andy Dwyer but ultimately ran off into the sunset with Rob Lowe’s Chris Traeger.

While Poehler recalled thinking kiss scenes during stage productions in college were “exciting,” the women agreed that “comedy makeout is so different than real genuine” sex scenes, pointing to good friend Kathryn Hahn — who also guest starred on Parks as Jennifer Barkley — as someone who has had to do “Babygirl, five orgasm”-type scenes for different roles.

“It’s so intense. … That makes me stressed,” Poehler confessed. Jones replied, “It’s fully stressy.”

Poeher’s comments about onscreen “chemistry” come days after Scott’s appearance on the “Smartless” podcast, which is cohosted by Poehler’s ex-husband, Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes. During the episode, a question about Scott’s father prompted the trio to realize they hadn’t asked the actor enough intimate questions.

After jokingly asking Scott if he was “emotionally scarred” from his parents’ divorce and what drives him “crazy” about his wife, Naomi,” Arnett jumped in, wondering, “Have you ever had an emotional affair with a coworker?”

Fans quickly took to social media to share their thoughts on the exchange, and while many believed it was just a lighthearted interaction, others pointed out there were “layers” to the moment. (In addition to Scott portraying Poehler’s love interest, Arnett also made a cameo on Parks and Rec as one of Leslie’s bad dates.)

Arnett and Poehler tied the knot in 2003 and welcomed sons Archie and Abel in 2008 and 2010, respectively. They announced their separation in April 2014 and their divorce was finalized two years later. The pair have since gone on to successfully coparent together.

“It’s been almost 10 years and my kids are so lucky that Amy is their mother,” he told The Guardian in February 2022. “And I’m so lucky that we’re such a huge part of each other’s lives, even more so than we were five years ago.”

Arnett has since moved on with Alessandra Brawn, whom he began dating in 2019. The couple welcomed their son, Alexander Denison, in 2020. Poehler, meanwhile, has been dating Joel Lovell since 2024.