Closer Look: 'Severance' Creators & Cast Discuss Show Inspiration, Fan Theories & More

Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Patricia Arquette, John Turturro, Zach Cherry, and Tramell Tillman reunite with the Apple TV+ show’s creative team to join together for the Hollywood Reporter's Closer Look to talk about their show 'Severance'.
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#Severance #CloserLook #HollywoodReporter
Closer Look: 'Severance' Creators & Cast Discuss Show Inspiration, Fan Theories & More
The Hollywood Reporter
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[@JakeRanney]

I'm really glad they included the cinematographer in their press tour. Definitely a standout feature of this show.

[@israelhernandezcampos2652]

She's the real hero

[@montenegroafro4454]

The way they captured the minimalistic beauty of mundane office life in a fictional setting was just *mwah* art! Cinematographers really deserve more space to talk about their work on shows like this. Really makes me appreciate these beautiful shows even more! 👏💯

[@SSM654]

100% it takes a village to make a show/film/etc. Crew adds so much depth, beauty, complexity to the story that most people don’t realize or acknowledge.

[@hollykm]

She deserved it for sure

[@tayt_]

The cinematographer was able to make Lumon, and the outside, characters in their own right. The structure of inside, and then the disorder shown outside, everything is so intentional.

[@pesky716]

After the finale, this show immediately cemented itself on my All-Time Top 10 List of TV Shows.

[@richtea87]

Same here!

[@afrosamuraiwarrior]

It's also included on imdb's top rated show of all time

[@MRLONG758]

Crazy but true. I think this show will eventually develop a cult following much like LOST.

[@tonyc.4392]

Oh, easily, me too. Had no idea how special it was until after the first episode and I haven't stopped thinking about it since.

[@ferafera20]

What are your top 10?

[@keylime2998]

I love how Patricia’s character knows both worlds, but still has the same question of “Who am I?”

[@Gotcha869]

I'm so glad Mitchel found a gig as interviewer after Modern Family.

[@julias2855]

Lol. That’s funny. I know it’s not him, lol. But I kept trying to figure out who he reminded me of.

[@janetbeatrice9505]

He reminds me of him sooo much

[@edwardsmarcom]

Thank goodness they found Tramell. I can't imagine anyone else in that role and Milchick is a singular TV character. He's just PERFECT and it's like he barely resembles the actor who is so handsome, golden brown, and has a softness to him -- Milchick is darker toned, one dimensional, and hard. It's just an incredible performance. Defiant jazz forever!!!

[@Morphingtime602]

I was a sweaty mess during the finale! Excellent pacing. Great tension. Cannot wait for S2.

[@lynnhettrick7588]

I was on the edge of my seat for the finale! I even said "Oh no!" out loud when Mark (Adam) said the wrong name!

[@Z_Snowball]

@@lynnhettrick7588 same here on both counts. I just finished watching the season and my hands were shaking after the finale.

[@mineko2219]

@@lynnhettrick7588"Is our baby ok?"

[@damienrochford2230]

I was watching the episode with headphones in, next to my wife as she worked. At one point she shook my shoulder to get my attention; she said I was hyperventilating, and she was afraid I was going to pass out.

[@cynthiabecerra5002]

Secondary characters are brilliant. Dylan’s braveness, Irving’s sweetness, Burt’s sensibility… I enjoyed it a lot 👍🏻

[@marishkaspirit]

Also, Mark's emphaty and generosity... And Helly's determination...i love all these characters,... Except management of course

[@Moshington]

All the characters were written so well. None of them felt secondary, despite the obvious disparity in screen time.

[@JD-ku3xt]

I am curious why Dylan's outer chose to be there. His life seems normal compared to the others (so far).

[@Simonesayshi]

John Turturro

[@JK_Clark]

You could tell most of the other cast hadn't heard it and he was nervous about opening up. Such a nice guy.

[@isthatyoursomnomnom]

"SHE'S ALIVE!!" Still gives me shivers. My man Henry Pollard can ACT!

[@theboogeyman2590]

...what? That line was Adam Scott

[@isthatyoursomnomnom]

@@theboogeyman2590 That's just his stage name. He changed it to get away from being typecast after an unfortunate beer ad he did early in his career.

[@thechadharrison]

@@isthatyoursomnomnom I'm unsure if this is a joke, but Henry Pollard is a character he played and has never been his actual name...

[@mr.balloffur]

​@@thechadharrison It's CLEARLY a joke 😂😂😂😂😂

[@WuhSuhDood]

This show is excellent, it reminds me of The Leftovers. I love when sci-fi shows are heavily grounded in reality and can still manage to make the unbelievable, believable.

[@cadenhowlett]

Should I watch this show you mention?

[@WuhSuhDood]

@@cadenhowlett Yes! The Leftovers is only 3 seasons on HBO. Created by Damon Lindelof (Lost, Watchmen). It's a masterpiece in storytelling.

[@tonyc.4392]

@@WuhSuhDood OK, can you tell me, without spoilers, if it ends in a satisfying way? If not possible, that's cool.

[@ngocminhvu175]

@@tonyc.4392 The ending is one of the most acclaimed tv episodes of all time, i hope it's a sufficient answer

[@ytchannel6569]

@@tonyc.4392 I can't say it's "satisfying" but It ended great and that's satisfying to me.

[@chefbg5]

Zach cherry was actually amazing in the show.

[@sbush476]

Agreed he is my favorite.

[@jimbo573]

Coveted AF

[@PurushaDesa]

The casting of this show is perfect, particularly the key players of Adam Scott and Britt Lower who aren't huge names but a real mark of confidence that the best people were hired for the job.

[@simonhughes-king8493]

Just finished watching this. It was one the best shows I've ever seen. Loved it. The insane premise. The excellent plot. The production design and cinematography. Brilliant cast and characters. The little details. The wonderful quirkiness. The green tinge....the red and blue...... I haven't been so enthralled for a long time. WELL DONE to everyone involved

[@dm1843]

Definitely the best finale I've ever seen in any show

[@chouettesuper]

Mr Turturro and Mr Walken are so amazingly talented. The show is perfect and the whole cast also. But those two are pure gold

[@MyFlightTV1]

The intro to the show is soooo strangely entertaining. It's really fun to watch, and the music they went with, for me, is PERFECT. It's very well cast and is a joy to watch. I love Severance... congrats to all of you and I can't wait for season 2!

[@Klayhamn]

and the best part is - it was made by a guy who had no previous experience creating such things - which Ben Stiller just happened to run into his instagram account

[@stevensmith7791]

Arguably one of my top 5 favorite shows of all time. This show is criminally underrated.

[@VampireHeart518]

What are the other 4? :D

[@scottland906]

Zach never gets enough questions - he's hilarious

[@yeuxdal]

The goats have a fantastic Union

[@hamburglar83]

“I want to skip the next 8 hours”, “wish to have less precious time on this earth” is why I quit my job and taking a reckless 3 -5 mos finding myself and traveling and spending time with friends and family.

[@edhoover42]

Holy Cow! When Britt Lower around 29 something minutes in talked about how horribly we can talk to ourselves...that really hit home!

[@rini6]

One of the few shows that deserves the accolades it is getting. It’s an entire world and an entire atmosphere.

[@mrdavine]

Severance and S6 of Better Call Saul are two of my favorite shows this year so far.

[@alejandroprc]

Adam does a phenomenal job playing Mark.

[@mateusschaeffer9759]

I could easily be friends with them all and have conversations like that around a fireplace for hours..this show is fantastic

[@icytoe]

love this show, and dop reminds me of Kubrick

[@jeanvolante7376]

Totally. I kept thinking that as I watched it. So much of it is shot in liminal spaces.

[@Evil_Vegan]

Not enough people watch Severance!

[@TwiPrime]

Wow, John Turturro's ambition to be a doctor is so interesting. Wouldn't a lot of us like to do what he does, and do it as well as he does? In case it helps show how meaningful his line of work is, I haven't been very excited about life the last few years, but one thing that has helped me is finally getting to watch Severance. The story is riveting, Irving and others are amazing characters to get to know, and trying to solve the mystery while waiting for new episodes is so much *fun*! Keep up the great work--creators, cast and crew!

[@Klayhamn]

exactly, doctors keep us alive, but art and entertainment are among the things which make life worth living.

[@TwiPrime]

@@Klayhamn Exactly.

[@jjim3690]

John Turturro, I am a doctor. It's not all that. I am so glad you do what you do. You touch more lives than you realize through your acting. You make a big difference for people.

[@samuelbush8734]

Criminally underrated show.

[@mr.balloffur]

14 Emmy nominations and millions of viewers is hardy underrated

[@mrpicky1868]

no wonder script took more then 5 years..... mind blowing smart and detailed. no way S2 can go up ((( but as far as we already went. Dostoyevskiy would be proud

[@AriqJamaly]

Did someone say WONDER?

[@mariamaria6070]

5 years, to mix 1984, a bit of matrix, the island and Aldus huxley...

[@squarepants8442]

Mr.Turturro hats off to you sir, I fell in love with your acting.

[@marshadingle5187]

With such outstanding talent, how could they possibly go wrong? One of my all time favorite shows.

[@deceiver444]

Truly the best series I've seen in a long while. And this cast just fits perfectly.

[@get_lucky6402]

Oh bless Patricia Arquette, she doesn't even know where she is right now!

[@homelypear]

girl what😭 what r u mad abt

[@get_lucky6402]

@@homelypear nothing? Why would you think im mad? Patricia admits that the script confused her and the role was challenging.

[@poop_storm]

That’s kinda surprising, she’s taken on roles that are much more difficult than this without a problem

[@sophia-gq5ss]

One of my favourite shows of this year - and most likely of all time. Absolutely phenomenal work

[@shawnuel]

Olympia Washington's own, Dan Erickson! He graduated from the same high school 21 years after I did. The really weird thing I noticed in the last episode was when Irving, while the Lumon crew were in the outie world with their innie consciousness, was looking for Burt's address, the address on the paper was the house in Olympia I spent my first 5.75 years in! I assume Dan grew up there as well.

[@Shah_creates]

Such a cool story from a local!

[@triskut]

You forgot to mention the Tumwater file (I live in Oly too)

[@shawnuel]

@@triskut I somehow forgot about that.

[@mattjowett8837]

Clearly a series exploring conscious mind vs unconscious mind: suspicion, paranoia, repression, the unconscious mind trying to communicate things to the conscious mind, faith, belief, the brain being totally isolated in the skull from the outside and having no way to sense itself, a department or area dedicated to perception and optics, or appearances, a department that just gets random information it has to make sense of without context, the neuropsychological concepts explored in the show, the parallels between real life psychology experience like rat mazes and the set design, this show is a masterpiece

[@dianag.1997]

I am excited about every part and detail of the Severance) Love all the team! Wonderful interview, thank you, the host is great.

[@DClaBarraBrava]

John Turturro’s spinning thumbs are the best

[@looney1023]

Patricia Arquette is a gem!

[@Snooker282]

It was a masterpiece! Wow

[@mathesonstep]

I cannot wait for season 2!!! This show is insanely amazing

[@kingofswing3000]

Fave show since Lost. Astounding.

[@Monkofmagnesia]

My favorite show of all time is The Prisoner (all 17 episodes are on KZbin). Severance is my second favorite.

[@zedjosh7907]

Done watching all episode a minute ago.. love this movie

[@greendog3022]

it reminded me a lot of "STANLEY PARABLE"

[@stephensheridan1279]

What’s that?!

[@greendog3022]

@@stephensheridan1279 its a game check it out!

[@SEABLUEFILMS]

One of the best series ever made, right up there with Breaking Bad and Ozark.

[@lll32151]

Better than both of those by far. It could be something along the lines of True Detective Season 1 and The Sopranos in how well put together it is.

[@sakuragi1062]

@@lll32151 this show is more comparable to like Blackmirror especially the concept but this is an amazing show

[@adityabali1939]

Nobody mentioning mr robot?

[@izdapwn]

@@adityabali1939 Mr. Robot, is definitely close to this tier! A very well put together, shot and cast series. It did have the tendency to stray from the plot and concept, but I think in the best experimental and developmental way possible! Rami is forever Elliott to me now

[@radicalstanza3614]

Ozark is nowhere in the running lol

[@danlesser4452]

Stunning

[@annabodhi38]

Great interview, thanks a bunch.

[@vinylxplorer]

The most incredible cast chemistry!

[@shaktipinakimishra9098]

In terms of visual aesthetics, this is amazing..like Kubrick × Aliens.

[@beyourself2444]

It is Kubrikesque

[@mmka5434]

It was a fantastic psychological thriller show. All the actors and actresses did an excellent job, one better than the other one. So did the whole crew. And, the writer created a phenomenal story.

[@tysonasaurus6392]

Ms Cobel always reminds me of the evil fairy grandmother from Shrek 2

[@bymylights]

Yes. 100%

[@sophia-gq5ss]

Amazing!! :)

[@PedroAmA]

The show was so amazing cant wait to season 2

[@blackcorp0001]

Love ❤️ this show ... I describe it to people like a cross between Lost/Office Space/Eyes wide Shut

[@stephensheridan1279]

What is Eyes Wide Shut?

[@kalonicamcquesten692]

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind too?

[@aleclynch6186]

Wish they'd gone with the peg leg idea if only so Patricia Arquette could reenact the infamous "the only thing artificial or fake about me... is THIS" scene from Real Housewives

[@Updog89]

They would’ve thrown an Emmy at her right then and there 😂

[@stephensheridan1279]

That comment made me think of Count Olaf’s ‘Captain Sham’ disguise from Lemony Snicket’s ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’. I’m glad they didn’t end up going with that idea as I wouldn’t have been able to take her alter ego’s disguise seriously and not think about Captain Sham every time we saw her in the Outside World…!

[@tonyc.4392]

Zach tryin' to platinum theHunter: Call of the Wild ovah here. Great game, btw, and I've never actually hunted in my dang life.

[@tomada36]

Did anyone notice that one of the Eagans in the Perpetuity Wing had the nickname "Pip", which is also the name of the diner (Pip's) ?

[@monicarenee7949]

Yeah a lot of the places in town is named after the CEOs of the company. The town itself is named after Kier

[@theboogeyman2590]

The town is called Kier and supported by Lumon (or sponsored by? Funded by?)

[@melanieconway3437]

I neeeed more people to see it

[@taviantownsend5192]

So so excited for season 2

[@kalonicamcquesten692]

13:23 and oh! I bet eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!

[@kalonicamcquesten692]

And True Lies?

[@llednop]

So Seth Milchick never leaves the Lumon premises? Is he one of those employees that Petey said that never leave?

[@crunchety505]

Milchick does leave because he went to Dylan’s outie’s house to find out where Dylan’s innie hid the cards. Petey is referring to Ms. Casey. She never leaves.

[@llednop]

@@crunchety505 True, I didn't remember that part. But it looks like Milchick does spend a lot of his time at Lumon as we see him there during scenes when it's night, like in the finale, when the outties are where they were supposed to be at that moment.

[@datdudeinred]

7:06 pretty sure they were talking about tlou & little did they know that rabbit game will turn into a huge sensation 😂

[@rickspringfield9394]

Adam is clearly really funny. He made me laugh at least 3 times with just low key jokes during the interview. Goat Covid 😂

[@AtomicWhiskers]

For real lmaoo

[@TJ-hs1qm]

This is an excellent depiction of Marx's theory of alienation

[@poop_storm]

I literally came to the comments to say exactly this lmfao

[@danielbrown1724]

I don’t think I’ve been this impressed with a show since Breaking Bad first came out. The writing, acting, score, pacing, beautiful cinematography, keeping the viewer on the edge of their seat, just really impressed. And Helly being an Egan, wow, great twist!!! I am looking forward to Season 2.

[@2sense110]

The Matrix meets Seinfeld that's one way to sum it up

[@PeaceLoveAndRico]

Is there a massive world of ARG style content for this show? I feel like there is so much to know and i have but a candle in this dark place!

[@monicarenee7949]

Have you read The Lexington Letter released by Apple Books? It helps with world building of the show

[@helens1016]

"I'm a gamer so I'll sometimes spend hours searching for this one specific rabbit" icon tbh

[@mellowgeekstudio]

"What is a rabbit"? lol

[@julienschurgerfoy6298]

Love how they're talking about big corporations and the harm they do and it's a show on apple tv. Lol. Ironic . TV show about evil corporations that can only be streamed on a platform created by one!

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

Same thing with The Boys. There has always been the paradox that filmmaking costs a lot of money, and requires the investment from large corporations that many films criticise.

[@kdpowers]

Tillman already should have an Emmy and he didn't get nominated

[@chobblegobbler2536]

I love that, “Dylan” describes how he shares the personality traits of one of the four temperaments lol

[@sophiecorcut206]

Intrigued that no one has mentioned the overtone of Orwell's 1984 - this is almost like a modern version of that story.

[@thedukeofnuts]

Relating to the "Big Brother is watching you" surveillance?

[@poop_storm]

@@thedukeofnuts as well as completely cutting off the exchange of information

[@ChipsNCellos]

Outstanding fiction- great start to this promising series!

[@mellowgeekstudio]

Severance theme chiptune? :)

[@cherryred11]

Shoutout to jschlatt for recommending this show to me on the sleep deprived podcast :D

[@abcdefg2120]

Which rabbit is Dillion’s actor referring to? The one in Mario 64?

[@gretchenbaker7435]

I can't get this show from my mind . It's too spooky ,funny interesting, sad, engaging and all the words. I've been trying to force everyone to watch. Can't wait for season 2.

[@jeromesnail]

A LOT of visual references to LOST in this show. Definitely.

[@dim9907]

Britt's voice must be the most charming voice of a woman I've ever heard

[@Klayhamn]

I think this show is like a perfect combination of westworld and counterpart.

[@mrpicky1868]

how did this show slip past Apple overlords.

[@kalonicamcquesten692]

Exactly.

[@leonardnorwitz3537]

OK. Love the show. Watched it twice already. Brilliant. Yet I have this nagging question: What made Mark believe that undergoing the severance procedure would solve his emotional distress? Disassociating himself from his memories might make him a better work drone, but it still leaves his "outie" with the same problem -- and that problem is now concentrated into a 15-hour day instead of 24, without work to help distract and support. He remains dis-integrated.

[@MrRedacto]

I asked myself that as well and the only thing I could come up with is that he has to work to live and he was too messed up emotionally to work in the state he was in. Also he's giving his innie the gift of being grief free, even if it's not really him.

[@pulan7974]

@@MrRedacto agreed

[@JK_Clark]

In the one of the last episodes, you find out his return to the classroom was "a disaster".

[@stephensheridan1279]

@@JK_Clarki can’t help but have a sneaking suspicion that Lumen had their hands in that ‘disaster’ as well as the circumstances around Mark’s wife’s ‘death’…

[@stephensheridan1279]

Well 7-8 hours of those ‘Outtie’ hours are devoted to sleeping, so maybe his reasoning was that having to only deal with his grief for the other 7-8 hours was a lot better than having to deal with that grief for 16-17 normally before Severing himself?

[@aacreatives407]

you know

[@yeungeddie]

Why is the interviewer sitting so far forward lmaoooo

[@lynnhettrick7588]

36:21 Oh no! They couldn't pet the baby goats! That would be torture. They were so cute!

[@GDog-xl6kr]

The show reminds me of video games Portal 2 and Inside

[@bandelay2134]

Great roundtable, but they should have ended it with a 5-minute Music Dance Experience.

[@WanderlassS]

is it going to be all other Hollywood series which will be 5 seasons too long

[@patrickmcgunn145]

Just got 🍏 binged S1, I'm hungry 4 more episodes. weird cool intelligent , most importantly I'm not sure how it's going to progress... which is so so refreshing! gg

[@chazarcola7639]

The most important question is : WHEN WILL JOAN SEVERANCE GUEST STAR ON SEVERANCE ??

[@robo2000nitro]

The show is brilliant and everyone that acts in the show is fantastic but I can't help putting Tramell Tillman as a standout. He is not even the lead character yet every time he was in a scene he killed it.

[@keithferris9574]

A truly terrifying character.

[@jimbo573]

He could have played Millchick as overtly menacing but he chose to make him fraternal and amiable and weirdly that made it more sinister.

[@wdazzle]

"you know"

[@GDog-xl6kr]

Couldn’t stop hearing it!

[@jeremyphillips3087]

The matrix meets seinfeld actually spunds pretty close

[@beyourself2444]

I love Dylan and Milchik’s smile

[@squarepants8442]

Spoiler @28:00

[@mr.balloffur]

How so?

[@retsub3]

Damn they're all such interesting thoughtful intellectuals, not a bit surprised. I just wanna hang out and be bffs. Britt is all that _and_ impossibly magnetic. I probably know more about her than is healthy at this point lol. Many alluring qualities ugh, I cannot. My kryptonite 😩💔

[@keithferris9574]

I'm with you on Britt

[@nateanara6126]

who is the lady in the right?

[@yeungeddie]

yooooo

[@tomada36]

I wonder if PETA was on the set to ensure that the goats were treated well

[@mr.balloffur]

Better than the workers.