One of the leading actors of Apple TV+'s Severance is offering up the major ways how the upcoming Season 2 differs from the first season.
Severance follows an alternate but familiar reality, where some workers have the option of Severing themselves—which means that when they are in the world place, they don't remember anything outside of it, and vice versa.
Season 1 ended on a massive note, with the Innies (those whose lives don't extend outside of their workplace) experiencing life on the outside and Mark realizing that Ms. Casey is actually his outie’s believed-to-be dead wife.
Star Tramell Tillman, who plays Lumon boss Mr. Milchick, sat down with The Direct’s Russ Milheim to discuss Season 2 and tease what fans can expect.
How Severance Season 2 Differs from Season 1
"This Go Round, We're Focusing So Much More on the Four Friends."
- The Direct: "How would you tell fans how Season 2 has evolved from Season 1? What's going to feel different this time around?"
Tramell Tillman: I think we've locked in more in Season 2. Season 1 was a fabulous introduction to this world of Lumon, and we got to see the town of Kier. But now this go round, we're focusing so much more on the four friends. We're focusing on the innies. We're focusing on the information that they received about the Overtime Contingency and learning about who Helly is, and we're navigating that space. And what do they do? What do the innies do now that they know what's on the outside?
- The Direct: "With Season 2, where is Mr. Milchick when fans catch up with him at this very start of the season?"
Tramell Tillman: So [in] Season 2, when we start, we pick up right where we left off from Season 1. It's that high moment when the innie finds out she's alive. And we see the Innie Mark come right into the doors, and he's running down the hallway and trying to figure out what the hell is going on.
And so now Milchick is tasked with basically telling him what happened and what's going on. And he notices that there have been changes that have happened to the floor. It doesn't look like the floor that he remembers it being.
I always like to say that Milchick is still on damage control ever since the OTC, when he introduced that to Dylan, you know, he's been having to cover himself to make sure that the train stays on the track. So we see, you know, more damage control.
- The Direct: "There must have been a lot of pressure to live up to the quality of the first season, especially with how much people loved it. How did that feel like diving into Season 2? Was that pressure palpable on set and when you were working on it?
Tramell Tillman: It felt more like anticipation. It was excitement, because we didn't know how Season 1 was going to be perceived. I don't think anyone knows how good or bad a show or any product is going to be until it's, you know, until people tell us, right?
So when this show was getting so much acclaim and people were dying over the the finale, it was like, Okay, what's next? What are we going to do next? We gotta keep going, you know. And when we finally got the clearance that we were going to do Season 2, I was just so enthralled about where we were going to go.
I will say this, Russ, that I would not want to be in Dan [Erickson] or Ben [Stiller's] position, because to take up the reins and and carry this thing on and meet the expectations, that's a lot. But I think I am confident that the fans, when they watch this show and when they watch Season 2, will feel that it was well worth the wait.
The Many Secrets of Severance Season 2
"Season 2 Answers Some Questions But Then Brings Up a Whole Lot More Questions..."
- The Direct: "You hear things about Marvel not giving full scripts and doing all sorts of weird things to hold things close to the chest... With how secretive the project is, do you experience some of that on 'Severance'? Do they give you partial scripts, or do you still get the whole story no matter what?"
Tramell Tillman: Yes, because, for the most part, I need to know what's going on. I think if there is an episode that is focusing on more outside that I'm not really a part of, maybe I don't get that script, but if I really wanted the script, then I'll ask for it. They're generous in that. But I hear tell that when it comes to maybe our day players, or some of the supporting cast members, they may not get the full script. It's only in pieces. They get the part that they're a part of, and anything that they need to know, they have to ask it and so forth.
- The Direct: "How informed are you of the bigger picture? So say, are there big mysteries that maybe aren't even solved in Season 2 that you do know just because of the process?"
Tillman: No, and that's not even me being cagey. I just, I don't know. Season 2 answers some questions but then brings up a whole lot more questions... I don't have the answers to them.
Managing Mr. Milchick's Perfect Moustache and Stride
There's One Particular Person to Thank for That Stunning Stache
- The Direct: "Now, I have to ask you a really important question. A friend wanted me to ask this. What is the routine? The care with your mustache? It's so pristine."
Tramell Tillman: Thank you. I cannot take credit for it. That is the genius of Kathleen Brown, who is my makeup artist for the show. She does an impeccable job of ensuring that my mustache is without spots or wrinkles. That it is in place every single time, in every single shot, it takes about 45 minutes to maybe an hour and a half to do my mustache and do it right.
- The Direct: "A related thing, too, is I noticed this, even while watching Season 1, you have such a personality to just the way you walk in your stride and the way you hold yourself, how much is that is you, and how much is that is crafted for the character."
Tillman: For me, a lot of that is the craft of the character. I wanted to create a character that fits into this mystery of what Lumon is about, or the mysteries that they hold, a man that has secrets, a man that can turn on a dime, and also a guy who is able to have fun, but also to be an authority figure as well. And not just any authority figure, an authority figure that you legitimately would be afraid of. Yeah, so that was Tramell, me, leaning into my sense of play and finding how he walks, how he moves, how he speaks, which was so much fun to do.
Tramell Tillman on Keeping a Straight Face Across from Zach Cherry's Dylan
"When I'm In That Zone, When I'm Locked In, I Do Not Break."
- The Direct: "How do you keep a straight face when acting across from Zach Cherry's Dylan because, like, you're just so serious all the time? And then he always has these laugh-out-loud lines, and you just don't budge."
Tramell Tillman: Zach is so great. How do I keep a straight face? I don't know. It's what Ben tells me. He says, like, 'Tramel, when you're in the zone, dude, it's like, it's magic.' So whatever that zone is, I have to make sure that I find it when I get on set, and when I'm in that zone, when I'm locked in, I do not break. Now, what's really cool is that when we get on set, some of my other actors, like Adam [Scott] and Britt [Lower], like to play and try to make people break. See what makes people tick.
Be sure to check out the first, spoiler-free half of our interview with Tramell Tillman below:
Severance Season 2 starts airing on Apple TV+ on January 17.
