{"id":632481,"date":"2026-06-11T05:20:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T05:20:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/632481\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T05:20:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T05:20:17","slug":"nick-offerman-on-ron-swanson-toxic-masculinity-and-megan-mullally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/632481\/","title":{"rendered":"Nick Offerman on Ron Swanson, Toxic Masculinity and Megan Mullally"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tNick Offerman<\/a> has a strong work ethic. When he signed up to play former pro wrestler James \u201cJinx\u201d Millet in \u201cMargo\u2019s Got Money Troubles<\/a>,\u201d he worried he\u2019d have to train as hard as other Hollywood gym rats. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019ve seen Mark Wahlberg\u2019s social media,\u201d he says. He thought, \u201cI guess I have to get up at three in the morning?\u201d but was very happy to learn that was \u201centirely unnecessary\u201d for this part. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDan Doperalski for Variety<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile Offerman did work with a trainer to get in fighting shape, it was much more manageable for a series that showcases his emotional strength as much as brawn. In the offbeat family story, Jinx is a newly clean addict who reenters the life of his estranged daughter Margo (Elle Fanning) once she gets pregnant. <\/p>\n

\n\tOfferman says he was attracted to many elements of the show: Working with creator and showrunner David E. Kelley, producers and actresses Michelle Pfeiffer and Nicole Kidman, and Rufi Thorpe\u2019s novel of the same name, which served as the source material. But chief among them was the opportunity to collaborate with Fanning, whom Offerman and his wife, Megan Mullally, admired while watching her series \u201cThe Great.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe were so besotted with her work,\u201d he says. \u201cShe\u2019s one of those superstars that I see and think, \u2018Boy, what would it take to get to work with her some day?\u2019 The proposition of getting to have an emotional relationship with her onscreen is the best Christmas present that has ever come my way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s the latest in a string of roles that prove Offerman\u2019s commitment to constantly surprise audiences. In 2025 alone, he played Chester A. Arthur in Netflix\u2019s historical series \u201cDeath by Lightning,\u201d an army general in the final \u201cMission: Impossible\u201d movie, a political extremist in the indie thriller \u201cSovereign\u201d and a smurf in \u201cSmurfs.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tOfferman decided to be selective with his roles once \u201cParks and Recreation,\u201d the NBC comedy series that made him famous, wrapped in 2015. His portrayal of Ron Swanson, a hard-shelled Libertarian with a heart of gold, made him a household name and the mustachioed face of a million memes. But he was adamant about not getting pigeonholed. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI said, \u2018The one thing I don\u2019t want to do is more Ron Swanson,\u2019\u201d Offerman says. \u201cI think that I\u2019ve done that, and happily so. All these offers came in of, \u2018OK, this isn\u2019t Ron Swanson, but he\u2019s an ex-Marine and he\u2019s great at grilling.\u2019 I was like, \u2018That\u2019s Ron Swanson.\u2019 So I told my agents, \u2018Let\u2019s create some daylight and I\u2019m just going to work at my wood shop for a while.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tThat patience led to an offer to play a much different role in sci-fi auteur Alex Garland\u2019s series \u201cDevs,\u201d which has since led the duo to become frequent collaborators. The process taught Offerman the value of waiting for the right project. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI started this rule that I generally still adhere to: If I get offered something and I can say no to it, I do,\u201d he says. \u201cSo, most of what I do, I\u2019m thinking, \u2018I have to do this.\u2019 It speaks to me in some way, or it\u2019s right or inspiring. What I\u2019ve learned is the best thing to do is not look for it, because what much greater artistic minds than my own find to do with me is not something I can concoct. I just hope that they\u2019ll keep finding me.\u201d <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDan Doperalski for Variety<\/p>\n

\n\tOfferman also credits Mullally\u2019s show business savvy as helping to navigate his career \u2014 as well as one specific rule the couple has about always nurturing their relationship even when things get busy: They\u2019re never apart from each other for more than two weeks. That can make for some creative scheduling for situations like in 2024, when Offerman was filming \u201cLightning\u201d in Budapest and Mullally was offered a role in \u201cThe Righteous Gemstones,\u201d which shot in Charleston, S.C. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe spend a lot of time negotiating the logistics of our lives so that we simply stay married,\u201d Offerman says. \u201cWe feel very lucky that we feel that way. After the first day or two, I think any couple would say, \u2018Great, we could all use a breather.\u2019 But then, in reality, you get to day three, and we just need to be together. So, when we get back together after two weeks, it\u2019s a great relief. It\u2019s coming out of the desert to a nice chug of water.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s clear in conversation that Offerman is the consummate wife guy \u2014 something he\u2019s trumpeted by writing a book, recording a podcast and embarking on a comedy tour with Mullally about their love story. They\u2019re set to spend the summer together on stage as well, starring in the musical comedy \u201cIceboy!\u201d in Chicago.<\/p>\n

\n\tHis devotion ties nicely to a modern spin on masculinity that he brings to the screen. While his characters are often \u201calpha\u201d \u2014 sporting dramatic facial hair, a can-do attitude and a desire to live life their own way \u2014 they\u2019re never cruel to those around them, or dismissive to women or people without power. <\/p>\n

\n\tIn a modern world where toxic online influencers like Andrew Tate and Clavicular preach sexism and looks above morality, Offerman is happy to offer a real-life alternative, in both his roles and his personal conduct. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cMy masculinity, such as it is, began to get a lot of attention along with everything else about Ron Swanson and \u2018Parks and Recreation,\u2019\u201d he says. \u201cIt took me by surprise to be part of the conversation, but because a lot of wrongheaded viewers identified incorrectly with Ron. Ron is a smart and avid hunter, so they assumed he must be a misogynist. They made a lot of incorrect assumptions, hoping to find an avatar for their ideologies. So that drew me in; I thought, \u2018Well, no, if you pay attention, you\u2019ll see that Ron is a feminist, or \u2018Ron is a true libertarian. He\u2019s the best man at a gay wedding.\u2019 But it dovetailed with this weird new obsession with masculinity, a toxic masculinity that I guess comes hand-in-hand with the evolution of empathy.\u201d <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDan Doperalski for Variety<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile Offerman says he admires Mark Ruffalo, Lucy Lawless and other performers who are unabashed activists, he\u2019s happy to advocate for a way of life that affords people to be treated with respect and dignity. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019m grateful to take part in the conversation,\u201d he says. \u201cI feel like I\u2019m on a pretty vast team of clear thinkers that are just saying wild ideas like, \u2018Don\u2019t vote for a rapist.\u2019 The things that I espouse are clear and common sense and don\u2019t have any agenda other than wanting people to have health care versus not, wanting to erase the wealth disparity versus not.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tOfferman cites the support of his agency, UTA, for not steamrolling his efforts of speaking out as an artist, and backing him even when the chatter gets dark online. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI get accused of eating children and other \u2018libtard\u2019 activities,\u201d Offerman says. \u201cYou can\u2019t navigate life steering by Twitter trolls, the sadness of Elon Musk and his minions. I navigate my life by the writings of Wendell Berry and the values my mom and dad gave me. I willfully ignore the overall public zeitgeist. Something from this article might put me on some Ben Shapiro list, where a bunch of jerks literally will just call me \u2018f****t\u2019 or worse on my social media. It\u2019s a pattern. It\u2019s laughable and sad, but it\u2019s also just humiliating. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s the same thing that leads our secretary of defense to announce that you\u2019re changing your title from secretary of defense to secretary of war,\u201d he continues. \u201cMasculinity-wise, it is the most humiliating thing you could possibly do. It\u2019s so embarrassing that the guy with a flag behind him is saying, \u2018We lead by bombing people. We negotiate with devastation.\u2019 The fact that my tax dollars are even turning the lights on so that we can broadcast that, to me, that\u2019s who should be embarrassed. That\u2019s who should be thinking about their choices. I espouse hugging. I negotiate with hugging. I understand that not everybody is into that, but that\u2019s definitely what I open with \u2014 and hopefully it won\u2019t come to punching.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tThat warmth came in handy on a production as equalizing as \u201cMoney Troubles,\u201d where Offerman harnessed Jinx\u2019s emotions at the very same time that below-the-line talent worked heavy equipment, and to the baby actors struggled to maintain their disposition. It reinforced to Offerman that no matter how dire things may seem, justice and kindness can always be conjured from the stories we tell. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe\u2019re a funny species,\u201d Offerman says. \u201cIt\u2019s a gratifying thing about working in the arts that we get to pull our siblings and our neighbors along with us. \u2018Come on, guys. We\u2019re going to a meeting where everyone gets to vote the same. It\u2019s going to be cool. Don\u2019t worry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tGrooming: Joanna Ford\/The Wall Group; Location: The Preserve LA\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nick Offerman has a strong work ethic. When he signed up to play former pro wrestler James \u201cJinx\u201d…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":632482,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[6491,96,214105,101389,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-632481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-margou2019s-got-money-troubles","tag-nick-offerman","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=632481"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632481\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/632482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=632481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=632481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=632481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}