Ricken Hale

Dr. Ricken Lazlo Hale, Ph.D. is an inspirational author of five self-help books, the most recent of which is The You You Are. He is Devon Scout-Hale’s husband and Mark Scout’s brother-in-law.

Ricken Hale was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, to two semi-successful theatre artists who both came from old money. Both his conception and his birth took place on stage as part of a 9-month performance piece. Ricken’s parents were emotionally distant and viewed Ricken as an unsophisticated child. They resented that they had to teach him how to speak and about the basics of art and culture. Ricken was a painfully shy teenager but found solace in writing plays and poetry. Ricken eventually worked up the courage to share his writing with his parents but they mocked it as “pedestrian.” When Ricken turned 18, his parents forwarded him a large chunk of his inheritance with the understanding that they’d have little to do with him until he found his “real voice.”^[1]

After misguided attempts at being a lamp electrician, a daffodil gardener, and a tree-and-pond photographer, Ricken returned to his first childhood passion of introspective writing. ^[2]

Ricken fell immediately for Devon’s dry wit and ability to affectionately and kindly call him out on his pretensions. She was the grounding force that he lacked in his life. She found him to be funny and fascinating and sweet. Despite his pretentiousness.^[3]

Books he has written include most recently, The You You Are: A Spiritual Biography of You, as well as My Own Petard, Life of an American Gadfly, Wisdom from the Withered, and The Fun in Profundity. ^[4]

1. Good News About Hell
3. In Perpetuity
5. The Grim Barbarity of Optics and Design
6. Hide and Seek
8. What’s for Dinner?
9. The We We Are

In April 2022 for an Apple TV+ promotion, Ben Stiller, Dan Erickson, and some of the cast were answering viewer questions. Michael Chernus, the actor who plays Ricken, posted a reply to a question about Ricken's childhood with approval from Dan Erickson. The original Twitter post/tweet was deleted when Chernus deleted his Twitter account and all posts but the text and an earlier screenshot is below.

Carol Iskiwitch @carolisk • Apr 1, 2022
Replying to @AppleTVPlus @BenStiller and 8 others
What was Ricken's childhood like?

Michael Chernus @MichaelChernus
Replying to @carolisk @AppleTVPlus and 8 others
Ricken Hale was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, to two semi-successful theatre artists who both came from old money. Both his conception and his birth took place on stage as part of a 9-month performance piece.
12:16 PM • Apr 1, 2022

Michael Chernus
@MichaelChernus • Apr 1, 2022
Replying to @MichaelChernus @carolisk and 9 others
Ricken's parents were emotionally distant and viewed Ricken as an unsophisticated child. They resented that they had to teach him how to speak and about the basics of art and culture.

Michael Chernus
@MichaelChernus • Apr 1, 2022
Replying to @MichaelChernus @carolisk and 9 others
Ricken was a painfully shy teenager but found solace in writing plays and poetry. Ricken eventually worked up the courage to share his writing with his parents but they mocked it as “pedestrian.”

Michael Chernus
@MichaelChernus • Apr 1, 2022
Replying to @MichaelChernus @carolisk and 9 others
All credit for this Ricken bio goes to our brilliant writer and creator of #Severance @DanErixon

Other sources for the Ricken Backstory tweet:

Reddit post with alternate screenshot:

Apr. 1, 2022 Reddit post with an alternate screenshot of the backstory tweet

Wayback Machine, Internet Archive capture of the start of the tweet thread:

Internet Archive capture of the start of the backstory thread

In the same Twitter Q and A, Chernus also replied to the question, “What makes Devon and Ricken's relationship tick?”

Ricken fell immediately for Devon's dry wit and ability to affectionately and kindly call him out on his pretensions. She was the grounding force that he lacked in his life. She found him to be funny and fascinating and sweet. Despite his pretentiousness.

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