Adam Devine Almost Passed On Accepting His Pitch Perfect Role - Exclusive
It's hard to think about the "Pitch Perfect" franchise without Adam Devine's Bumper Allen coming to mind. The vivacious character made his debut alongside the likes of Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Skylar Astin, and more singing stars in the first movie just over a decade ago. He made life hard for the Barden Bellas as the egotistical and at times delightfully unhinged head of the all-male a cappella group the Treblemakers. And he's back at it again 10 years later.
Devine will reprise his role in the franchise for the new Peacock series "Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin" — only, things are a little different so far into the future. The six-episode saga finds him reconnecting with a former villain and chasing a shot at stardom. He's no longer at Barden University; Bumper's trying to make it big in Berlin, Germany. The show features a mix of new and familiar faces, including returning star and former antagonist Flula Borg and fresh arrivals Sarah Hyland and Jameela Jamil.
In an exclusive interview with The List, Devine revealed that he was excited but surprised by the opportunity. "I never would've thought in a million years that we'd be doing a spin-off show and it would be about my character, but here we are 10 years later," he said. Interestingly, he also revealed that his whole journey with "Pitch Perfect" almost never happened.
Adam Devine nearly declined the role
Adam Devine revealed that the "Pitch Perfect" character he related to was Anna Kendrick's Beca Mitchell because she was "one foot in and one foot out." That resonated because he initially wasn't sure if the franchise was the right fit.
"I almost turned down 'Pitch Perfect,'" he said. Devine broke down why he was on the fence. "I was in the middle of doing 'Workaholics,' and that was my baby. The difference between 'Workaholics' and a movie about a capella singing in college seemed way far away from each other. I didn't know if it was the right move, but I couldn't be happier with my decision to do that movie and where it's gotten me today, and some of the friendships and relationships that I've had from the movie."
Years later, Devine's grateful Bumper is getting a conclusion. "He's the right character to do a spin-off about, not just because I'm that person, but because you didn't tie up his character within the movies. With him being such a large part of the first and second movie, not tying him up was a little bit of a disservice," he said. As for what to expect from Bumper in the series, Devine put it simply: "You see him grow as a person and still be a talented lunatic, but a little less of a psychopath."
All six episodes of "Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin" will premiere on Peacock on November 23, 2022.