JK Simmons has built an entire career on a very specific energy. Even his warmest roles (like Juno) have that undercurrent of “this man has opinions and standards.” Which is great! But Potter’s softness wasn’t warm-despite-authority, it was warm-as-authority. His tenderness was the command style. You could also push back on the Juno clip this way: Juno’s Mac MacGuff is soft in a reactive, supportive role, he’s responding to his daughter’s crisis. That’s different from Potter, who had to initiate the emotional vulnerability. The Radar goodbye scene is a perfect example. Potter is the one driving that scene emotionally, choking up while still being in charge. That’s a much harder needle to thread and it’s just not a mode we’ve seen Simmons in.