It's tough to pick a favourite character on a show with an ensemble as strong as HBO's Veep.
But we have a sneaking affection for slick, sardonic Dan - the senior advisor to former VP, now President Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) - brought to brilliant life by actor Reid Scott.
Scott spoke to Digital Spy about the upcoming fourth season of Veep, playing a "horrible dick" and his unnerving brush with real-life politics.
Many actors say they have to like the character they're playing - so do you like Dan?
"(laughs) That's a good question - I'll give some credence to that, yeah. I think when actors say you have to 'like' your character, it's more that you have to find something to like about them. But overall... no, of course I don't like Dan, he's a horrible dick!"
But he does have a certain charm - how do you explain his appeal, given that he is kind of an asshole?
"I'll try to give a little bit of backstory to that. When I got the part, I was living in New York and one of the casting directors was a friend of mine, Jen Euston, and she said she was casting this really unusual project.
"She told me that it was by Armando Iannucci - she knew that I was a fan - and she said, 'This one part is tricky because he's an asshole, but he's got to be likeable... and you're the most likeable asshole I know, so it seems like a natural fit!' I didn't know whether to take that as a compliment, or an insult...
"The thing about Dan is, and all the characters in Veep... they're unequivocally despicable people, no doubt about it, but they're so human and so flawed. I think the audience connects with them because they see themselves in these characters.
"They think, 'If I were put in these extraordinary circumstances, I don't know that I wouldn't behave the same way'. So I don't know if it's necessarily that they're likeable, but they're identifiable. Dan has the charm, and you can admire that about him, but at the end of the day, you can't really like the guy. No-one wants to hang out with Dan!"
Do you think we'll ever see a more human side to Dan - maybe a little of his inner life?
"It's something I've been asking to explore with the character. I would love to see a little bit more of his backstory, of his home-life - y'know, see Dan on a date, see Dan with his family...
"Without giving anything away, we see a little bit of that in this upcoming season, but I think there's definitely more to the guy - at least the way I've played it is that Dan has assumed this persona, and has lost himself in it. I think at the end of the day, there's a very different Dan underneath that... haircut! But I'm not really sure who he is yet."
Veep is undergoing a big shift in its fourth season, with Selina as POTUS - how does that shake things up?
"The easiest answer is that all the stakes are heightened. Everything about the office is just full-throttle, with more characters to contend with. All the problems and scenarios get much more complicated, so it's really everything that we love about making the show - just really dialled up.
"It's great. We all walked away from this season thinking that this is our best yet. It's so fun, it moves so fast, and the world gets expanded because people start to move in different directions that we haven't seen before."
Hugh Laurie also joins the cast - how was it having him on board?
"He's fantastic. First of all, he's one of the smartest people I've ever met - he's just one of those guys who knows something about everything, without being a know-it-all - and he's a lovely guy to work with.
"I know a lot of people know him for his comedy - and other people know him just as House - but he takes his job very seriously, yet still is obviously having fun, and the character he got to play... he's great. He's this charming guy who can almost do no wrong!
"He's the perfect politician, in stark contrast to Selina, who's almost the worst politician out there. It was really fun to see them together - and Hugh was just a great guy to hang out with, so we really enjoyed having him."
With Selina having achieved her ultimate ambition, what do you think Dan's ultimate ambition would be?
"Oh man, I don't think Dan's going to be happy until he runs for office, wins the seat and is then assassinated - he wants that kind of fame!"
How do real-life political figures react when you cross paths? I heard you met Joe Biden...
"I've only come across politicians that really appreciate it and really get a kick out of it. When my wife and I met Joe Biden, we were at an event and his people knew that they were going to be in there, so in the middle of the event, I get tapped on the shoulder by secret service guys. 'Mr Scott - come with us, please.' I thought, 'Oh my God, I'm going to be executed...'
"He pulls us backstage and Biden appears. He looks at me, looks at my wife, leans in and says to her, 'Tell your husband to speak to me the way he speaks to that boss of his on that show!' and then he looks up at me and we both started cracking up. I'm like, 'Oh my God, he wants me to swear at him!'
"I think everyone appreciates Veep because it's one of the first shows to really turn a mirror on DC and expose it for how human and fractured it really is. I think it's breathing a bit of levity into a very stressful world."
Veep returns to HBO on Sunday (April 12) at 10.30pm. The series airs on Sky Atlantic in the UK.
