Adam Scott almost quit acting after losing the Six Feet Under role to Michael C. Hall

He told his former Parks and Recreation castmate Amy Poehler on her Good Hang podcast: "He and I tested for it...

"It was the one where I was like, 'I might stop doing this. I think that it's time for me to read the tea leaves and walk away.'"

The 52-year-old star admitted not landing the role was "painful", while Amy described the show's success as "someone f****** your girlfriend in front of you".

Adam - who pointed out that the series "eclipsed all other shows" when it was on air - added: "One hundred percent".

He ended up appearing in the show during its second season, playing Michael's on-screen boyfriend in a guest role.

He admitted it was "fun" and his co-star was "lovely", but it was a tough situation all around.

He said: "That was a blow. That was hard. But it's also important that you have those experiences."

Meanwhile, Adam - who went onto appear in Big Little Lies, Parks and Rec, Step Brothers, Severance and More - insisted he wasn't actually "ready" for such a big role at the time.

He explained: "It's good that I didn't get it because it wouldn't be nearly as good if I had done it because he was perfect and incredible.

"He's incredible, and I wasn't ready."

Elsewhere in the podcast, Amy revealed the Parks and Rec finale - which included flash-forward scenes for all the main characters - was actually inspired by the way Six Feet Under ended by showing the future deaths of its cast.

She said: "Mike Schur and I were talking about the idea that in comedies, you don't always get to see the future.

"You don't always get to see what happens to these characters that you've grown to love. And so, we were so blown away by the Six Feet Under finale."