It Gets Worse Star Leo Reich Spills on That Viral Andrew Scott Spit Scene

Exclusive Interview

Though It Gets Worse lives up to its title when it comes to the disastrous lives of its trio of characters, Season 1 starts on a high point for Ethan (Leo Reich), with a steamy hookup between Ethan and an unnamed therapist played byAndrew Scott.

Before the A24 comedy sitcom had even come out, said scene went viral online when it was released as a teaser for the series. In Episode 1, we learn that Ethan isn’t really there as a client of the Fleabag alum’s character — he’s after a hookup. (Though, that doesn’t stop Ethan from trying to get a free therapy session in beforehand). “You’re just a hole for daddy,” Scott’s therapist tells Ethan before spitting into his mouth.

Reich, who wrote as well as starred in the show, always knew that steamy scene would be Season 1’s opener. “There are like a bunch of different versions of that first episode, but that pretty much stayed,” he explained. “Everything else changed around that. It just felt really like a central… What’s the word? Not calling card, but like mission statement. It just felt like a thematic encapsulation of the entire thing.”

He continued, “It’s horny, over-therapized, the blurring of boundaries, the kind of the desire to get better, the self-involvement, the self-criticism, the meta-ness…. like all of that felt key to establishing what the show’s sort of central thesis is. And then, of course, it really, really important for Andrew Scott to spit in my mouth. So, it’s doing a couple of things at the same time.”

Reich didn’t think of Scott’s Fleabag Hot Priest when casting him in the role, which is one of many cameos. Reich’s Too Much costar Lena Dunham, The Inbetweeners star Blake Harrison, and more appear. “When I was thinking about the cameos that end up being in it… I think part of me sort of subconsciously in my head was like, ‘These characters have their idea of [how] their own 20s has been formed by watching TV, and all of these shows are part of their own self-conception of what they should be doing and what their lives should look like and the kind of fun 20s experiences they should be having. So, to have those cameos sort of populate it felt right in some way,” he explained.

Paramount+

Even more importantly, though: How many times did Scott spit in Reich’s mouth? “I think it was 13 takes, something like that,” the actor said. “Maybe it was more.” He added, “I’m always like, ‘Oh, it’s so weird that this happened.’ I wrote it, so whose fault is that? Of course, it’s mine.”

One time, when the take didn’t work, Scott and Reich took a different approach. “In one of the takes, he just put his whole hand in my mouth and then tried to get me to answer questions, and there was something so funny about it,” Reich said, adding ultimately they didn’t go with that one because it presented a continuity issue. “But every take you do it differently a little bit.”

Reich pointed out that the episode is “bookended” by two mouth spitting scenes involving Ethan. Though the second time, his situationship Jesse (Arian Nik) does it far less successfully. “That was way worse because I’m on my back in that one, so I just have my mouth open. It just really hits the the back of my [throat]. Really, that was not pleasant,

During all the spitting scenes, the intimacy coordinator on set was giving the actor’s dib dabs, a British sherbet candy, to help them salivate. “It was also a really interesting flavor experience,” Reich joked. “By take 13, there was some gargling and the spit, I’ll say, it felt more solid. It was really… It was special.”

It Gets Worse, Season 1, Streaming Now, Paramount+