Nick Offerman has a strong work ethic. When he signed up to play former pro wrestler James “Jinx” Millet in “Margo’s Got Money Troubles,” he worried he’d have to train as hard as other Hollywood gym rats.
“I’ve seen Mark Wahlberg’s social media,” he says. He thought, “I guess I have to get up at three in the morning?” but was very happy to learn that was “entirely unnecessary” for this part.
Dan Doperalski for Variety
While 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.
Offerman 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’s 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 “The Great.”
“We were so besotted with her work,” he says. “She’s one of those superstars that I see and think, ‘Boy, what would it take to get to work with her some day?’ The proposition of getting to have an emotional relationship with her onscreen is the best Christmas present that has ever come my way.”
It’s the latest in a string of roles that prove Offerman’s commitment to constantly surprise audiences. In 2025 alone, he played Chester A. Arthur in Netflix’s historical series “Death by Lightning,” an army general in the final “Mission: Impossible” movie, a political extremist in the indie thriller “Sovereign” and a smurf in “Smurfs.”
Offerman decided to be selective with his roles once “Parks and Recreation,” 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.
“I said, ‘The one thing I don’t want to do is more Ron Swanson,’” Offerman says. “I think that I’ve done that, and happily so. All these offers came in of, ‘OK, this isn’t Ron Swanson, but he’s an ex-Marine and he’s great at grilling.’ I was like, ‘That’s Ron Swanson.’ So I told my agents, ‘Let’s create some daylight and I’m just going to work at my wood shop for a while.’”
That patience led to an offer to play a much different role in sci-fi auteur Alex Garland’s series “Devs,” which has since led the duo to become frequent collaborators. The process taught Offerman the value of waiting for the right project.
“I started this rule that I generally still adhere to: If I get offered something and I can say no to it, I do,” he says. “So, most of what I do, I’m thinking, ‘I have to do this.’ It speaks to me in some way, or it’s right or inspiring. What I’ve 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’ll keep finding me.”
Dan Doperalski for Variety
Offerman also credits Mullally’s show business savvy as helping to navigate his career — as well as one specific rule the couple has about always nurturing their relationship even when things get busy: They’re 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 “Lightning” in Budapest and Mullally was offered a role in “The Righteous Gemstones,” which shot in Charleston, S.C.
“We spend a lot of time negotiating the logistics of our lives so that we simply stay married,” Offerman says. “We feel very lucky that we feel that way. After the first day or two, I think any couple would say, ‘Great, we could all use a breather.’ 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’s a great relief. It’s coming out of the desert to a nice chug of water.”
It’s clear in conversation that Offerman is the consummate wife guy — something he’s trumpeted by writing a book, recording a podcast and embarking on a comedy tour with Mullally about their love story. They’re set to spend the summer together on stage as well, starring in the musical comedy “Iceboy!” in Chicago.
His devotion ties nicely to a modern spin on masculinity that he brings to the screen. While his characters are often “alpha” — sporting dramatic facial hair, a can-do attitude and a desire to live life their own way — they’re never cruel to those around them, or dismissive to women or people without power.
In 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.
“My masculinity, such as it is, began to get a lot of attention along with everything else about Ron Swanson and ‘Parks and Recreation,’” he says. “It 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, ‘Well, no, if you pay attention, you’ll see that Ron is a feminist, or ‘Ron is a true libertarian. He’s the best man at a gay wedding.’ 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.”
Dan Doperalski for Variety
While Offerman says he admires Mark Ruffalo, Lucy Lawless and other performers who are unabashed activists, he’s happy to advocate for a way of life that affords people to be treated with respect and dignity.
“I’m grateful to take part in the conversation,” he says. “I feel like I’m on a pretty vast team of clear thinkers that are just saying wild ideas like, ‘Don’t vote for a rapist.’ The things that I espouse are clear and common sense and don’t have any agenda other than wanting people to have health care versus not, wanting to erase the wealth disparity versus not.”
Offerman 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.
“I get accused of eating children and other ‘libtard’ activities,” Offerman says. “You can’t 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 ‘f****t’ or worse on my social media. It’s a pattern. It’s laughable and sad, but it’s also just humiliating.
“It’s the same thing that leads our secretary of defense to announce that you’re changing your title from secretary of defense to secretary of war,” he continues. “Masculinity-wise, it is the most humiliating thing you could possibly do. It’s so embarrassing that the guy with a flag behind him is saying, ‘We lead by bombing people. We negotiate with devastation.’ The fact that my tax dollars are even turning the lights on so that we can broadcast that, to me, that’s who should be embarrassed. That’s who should be thinking about their choices. I espouse hugging. I negotiate with hugging. I understand that not everybody is into that, but that’s definitely what I open with — and hopefully it won’t come to punching.”
That warmth came in handy on a production as equalizing as “Money Troubles,” where Offerman harnessed Jinx’s 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.
“We’re a funny species,” Offerman says. “It’s a gratifying thing about working in the arts that we get to pull our siblings and our neighbors along with us. ‘Come on, guys. We’re going to a meeting where everyone gets to vote the same. It’s going to be cool. Don’t worry.”
Grooming: Joanna Ford/The Wall Group; Location: The Preserve LA
