Adam Brody suggests he’d use dating apps if he were single and not an actor

Your new TV show, Fleishman Is In Trouble sees you play Seth, a loveable idiot who is finally ready to settle down, just as his friends’ married lives collapse…

He’s the one who has hung on to his youth the most. He’s the one who hasn’t coupled up, hasn’t had kids. He’s living the most outwardly and inwardly hedonistic lifestyle and comes to think differently about it later during the course of the show. It seems like the right timing to be settling down but is he just doing it now because he’s scared? Is he doing something he doesn’t want to do or is this a great idea?

At first he seems the most immature of the lot but does he understand himself the most?

Yeah, maybe. He’s the most comfortable. It’s true. It’s kind of like the wisdom of idiots, he hits on a few philosophical points that have some truth and he definitely brings a different perspective that occasionally can seem wise but, you know, your dog can seem wise. As right as he is at times, he’s also wildly wrong. It evens out at best.

Hollywood will always be obsessed with youth. Was it easy to relate to someone terrified of letting go of their youth?

Of course, and I mean, yes, Hollywood is extra-obsessed with youth. I think if you’re an actor or if you’re an athlete or a model, you’re probably hyper-aware of the age you are reflecting all the time. But, regardless, I think we all have those thoughts, I just turned 43 and… it’s a trip. Having kids and getting older is quite the experience…

Online and mobile dating apps are a huge part of the show. You’ve been married for nine years to Leighton Meester, so I assume you’ve got no experience with them?

It never existed for me nine years ago…I mean, I’m sure it existed in some form. But, yeah, it’s alien to me. That’s true. I think I have a fascination like Libby [Lizzy Caplan] in the show, although not the longing to do it. I have a friend who’s recently divorced and when we went out to dinner with him there’s all these married guys who are like, ‘What do you do? What’s it like?’ So it’s definitely fascinating, although being an actor would add an extra wrinkle to it.

Would you use a dating app if you were single, then?

If I was a single man, and perhaps not an actor, I’m sure I would do it. I don’t know what to make of it, though. Is it impersonal? Is it a lie? I’ll tell you what I didn’t really like when I was single and wanting to mingle, I didn’t like going to a bar and approaching people and getting shut down.

I have friends who say it’s a numbers game. I was never comfortable with that, I don’t want to be rejected nine times. So I do think there seems to be some comfort in that you can kind of pick and choose at a distance more. Is there less rejection involved? I don’t know.

It was very comfortable, very fast and very fun and that’s just good casting. That genre of old college friends reuniting, you know, like The Big Chill from 1983, is actually one of my least favourite genres because it always feels like bulls*** to me. The fact that this clicks and felt real is a real boon to the show and made me happy.

You’re so synonymous with California and the West Coast – how did it feel becoming a New Yorker for the show?

Wonderful. I mean, we got to do such iconic things. I’ve filmed in New York a lot and I always love it. It always feels so vibrant – you’re out on the street and it’s just kind of a fantasy. This time I got to film in Central Park, which was like an iconic thing for me – to talk about relationships in Central Park on camera. That said, I will always feel like an imposter there. Even if I moved there, I’m just such a West Coaster for my whole life that the East Coast culture, for me, will always feel a little alien.

It’s been 20 years since your defining role as Seth Cohen began in The OC. Do you find yourself looking back fondly on those days?

I reflect on that plenty. I mean, probably daily, in some way or another. The OC is never far from my mind. And 20 years, sure, but I mean I’m always getting emails telling me that it’s been 15 years since it ended or a different anniversary, do you know what I mean? But 20 years, that’s a nice milestone, and yet it’ll be 25 soon enough!

Fleishman Is In Trouble is streaming on Disney+ now

MORE : The OC’s Adam Brody doesn’t think a reboot would work as he shades Gossip Girl revival