The Best Time Nick Offerman Broke Character On Parks And Recreation
"Parks and Recreation," a docu-comedy series about smalltown bureaucratic officials being hilariously bad at their jobs, was released in 2009, where it aired on NBC for seven seasons of ridiculous bliss. The series starred a number of professional comedians such as Amy Poehler, Chris Pratt, and Aziz Ansari. Among these high-energy powerhouses was Nick Offerman, who portrayed Ron Swanson, the deadpan department head of the Pawnee, Indiana, Parks and Recreation branch.
For those who are unfamiliar with Swanson's antics, "deadpan" is meant quite literally. Ron Swanson despises frivolity and joy almost as much as he loathes the government. The rare moments where he laughs — a terrible and beautiful sound that is somehow Offerman's real laugh (per Austin 360) — are mostly brought on at the expense of others or at the mention of dangerous weaponry.
With his portrayal of the stony Libertarian being so spot on, it's relieving, then, to know that Offerman has a normal, human heart that can experience normal, human joy, and sometimes it was more present than it should have been. Here's our pick for the best moment that he couldn't keep Nick Offerman from breaking through the Ron Swanson façade.
Ansari was too much for Offerman
Our runner-up for the best character break can be found here on YouTube, and it follows a conversation between Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and Ron Swanson. Knope, who's dressed in a bright purple scout uniform, is impersonating a snobby elitist with a voice that's best described as "Hollywood Hick." Poehler's work never fails to elicit laughter, but Nick Offerman stoically holds it together ... until his prosthetic mustache begins to slide down his cheek from his contained giggles. The fake mustache isn't a silly plot point — it's just because Offerman shaved for a separate project but needed to maintain hair continuity for "Parks and Recreation."
But while he does break character here, it's probably fair to say much of that is due to a makeup malfunction that was, in a sense, already breaking character for him. When it comes to Offerman being unable to keep in his laughter due to the antics of his castmates, a different scene takes the title of best character break.
On the Season 2 blooper reel, Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari) interrupts a conversation between Ron Swanson and Mark Brendanawicz (Paul Schneider). Haverford strides into the room decked out in atrocious golfing gear, claiming to have lost a "little pom-pom" that was previously attached to his golfing glove. To search for it, Haverford bends over and "accidentally" rubs his butt on Swanson's groin. This goes on for quite some time, and in fairness, Offerman held it together better than many people could have, but he eventually broke. After he embraced the fact that the take was ruined, he said, "Can we do it again, just like that? Three more times?" At least Offerman managed to break everyone else with his quip — that way, at least, they all went down together.