Latest news with #SeveranceSeason2
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
WATCH: Dichen Lachman Revisits Early Severance Days, Talks Gemma vs. Helly and Dollhouse Comparisons
It's been almost a month, so, yeah — this interview mentions all kinds of spoilers from the Season 2 finale, streaming on Apple TV+. When Dichen Lachman paid a visit to TVLine's New York office, 1) it was almost 16 years to the day that I published my first interview with her, and 2) the pop culture-verse was abuzz with theories about the Severance Season 2 finale, which dropped March 21. More from TVLine Will Trent Shocker: EPs Tee Up 'Really Emotional, Really Scary' Ormewood Storyline Save the Dates: Taron Egerton-Jurnee Smollett Series Premiere, The Brutalist on Max and More Doctor Who Stars Praise Season Premiere's Stealth, 'Compassionate' Take on [Spoiler] Culture - Grade It In the video Q&A above, Lachman and I very quickly commemorate our 'anniversary' before diving into all things Severance — starting with what all she was told about the role when she was first eyed for it some four-and-a-half years ago. 'I only had two or three [script] pages and absolutely no context about who this person was,' the Aussie actress recalls, 'and she's saying the most random, bizarre things!' Lachman was allowed a bit more context after she and executive producer Ben Stiller navigated a potential scheduling conflict with her role in Jurassic World: Dominion. At that juncture, 'he finally, reluctantly told me the Season 1 cliffhanger,' where Mark S. bellowed to a confused Devon and friends, 'She's alive!' — meaning, his 'dead' wife Gemma. Lachman then talks about the early direction she was given, on Ms. Casey's overall vibe as Lumon's wellness counselor. She hails Stiller's 'empathy and curiosity,' being an actor himself, and how he was able to play for her, on-set, the actual music that would score Ms. Casey's sessions. 'It really helped inform me of the pace and the tone,' she recalls. After touching on how she developed Ms. Casey's speaking voice, Lachman talks about first getting wind of Season 2, Episode 7, which introduced viewers to a lot of Gemma Scout's other Innies. Until that point, 'I was noticing I wasn't in the scripts very much!' she says with a laugh. 'Finally, [series creator] Dan Erickson, who's just an extraordinary talent, mentioned, 'We have this episode….'' Once apprised of what 'Chikhai Bardo' would entail, 'I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel the pressure' — not just to do right by her castmates and bosses but 'for the fans of this show,' Lachman admits. 'It's an intensity I haven't experienced, the attention and love they have for the show.' The dual Hollywood strikes of Summer 2023 and the pause in filming they dictated worked in Lachman's favor, affording her time to speak at length with 'Chikhai Bardo' director Jessica Lee Gagné and co-writers Erickson and Mark Friedman. What's more, 'We were fortunate enough to go to the house [where the Gemma/Mark scenes filmed] and have rehearsal,' she shares, where 'things did change a bit.' Lachman then talks about working with teen icon Robby Benson as Dr. Mauer ('I'm from Katmandu, so I didn't know who he was! But I did learn very quickly that he was an absolute legend and is antithetical to the character he's playing'), and to what degree her stint as a regularly reprogrammed Active on Fox's Dollhouse helped with her portrayal of so many Innies. 'There are similarities, absolutely…,' she allows, though Actives were even more detached from their true selves. 'Maybe Dollhouse is the sequel in terms of the tech?' she quips. From there, Lachman shares her take on the Season 2 finale (namely, whether Gemma saw the redhead Mark was with as any kind of threat)… explains why she enjoys 'living in the not knowing' what's to come ('I have complete faith in Dan and the entire team to come up with something that won't let anyone down')… and along those lines, gets candid about what all she knows about the Season 3 of TVLine Yellowjackets' Tawny Cypress Talks Episode 4's Tai/Van Reunion: 'We're All Worried About Taissa' Vampire Diaries Turns 10: How Real-Life Plot Twists Shaped Everything From the Love Triangle to the Final Death Vampire Diaries' Biggest Twists Revisited (and Explained)
CBC
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Severance stars Tramell Tillman and Zach Cherry reflect on the masks we all wear at work
Like many of us, Severance stars Tramell Tillman and Zach Cherry can relate to the idea of feeling like someone different at work. That's partly just the nature of acting — taking on a character while you're on set and hopefully leaving them behind when you get home. "We talk a lot about what carries over and what bleeds through," Cherry says in a joint interview with Q 's Tom Power alongside Tillman. "For me as an actor, that is kind of a question when you're creating a character. You got to bring something of yourself to most of your characters, but not everything." Severance, which aired its Season 2 finale yesterday, is a sci-fi thriller that explores a nightmarish experiment to enforce work-life balance by splitting a person's consciousness into two. There's the you that goes into work (your "innie") and the you that lives outside of work (your "outie"). WATCH | Tramell Tillman and Zach Cherry's full interview with Tom Power: Before becoming full-time actors, both Tillman and Cherry worked as office managers in the non-profit world, so they know what it's like to have a nine-to-five desk job. They were able to draw on those experiences to develop their characters, the mysterious Mr. Milchick and the severed employee Dylan G. "There's so many of us who spend a lot of time in the workplace and understand what it's like to be at a job that may not be as fulfilling," Tillman tells Power. "There's an identity there, too. I mean, the first line of the show is, 'Who are you?' And I think especially with Milchick, there's an identity that he is struggling with." Cherry adds that in his own life he'd try to separate his personal and professional identities by putting on a "work mask" in the office. "That idea of being someone slightly different at work, I can certainly relate to," he says. "When I was at my office job, I was also doing sketch comedy and improv comedy at night, but at work, no one really would have known that. I kind of didn't want to get into it. I didn't really want to bring that part of me into that place." WATCH | Official trailer for Severance Season 2: What's interesting about Cherry's character Dylan is that his innie and outie have distinct personalities as a result of living under completely different circumstances. Dylan's innie is confident and self-assured, whereas his outie is a husband and father who lacks purpose and direction in life. "The innie is maybe the version of the outie who never had all that baggage build up, and the outie is a version of the innie that has had these life experiences that have maybe pushed him one way or the other," Cherry explains. I think especially with Milchick, there's an identity that he is struggling with. To craft Milchick, who doesn't have an outie life, Tillman says it's not clear who the character is, only that he's committed to the organization and has shown himself willing to do whatever it takes to meet its goals. The actor says he modelled Milchick after a panther. "I feel like he's like this big cat," Tillman says. "He can pounce at any moment, but then there's this quality about him that he kind of bats people around, especially the innies. And he's always watching. He never strikes when it's not the right time. There's a plotting, there's a brooding that's there as well. And he's got that big smile, that big grin that can be very intoxicating and very mysterious as well. You don't know what that man's thinking." As for which animal Cherry would be, he says probably a panda. "Or like one of those deep sea fish," he jokes. "They don't even have a name."
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Quotes of the Week: FBI, Suits LA, Harley Quinn, The Rookie and More
While our Outies are still thinking about that Severance Season 2 finale, our Innies have been hard at work rounding up this edition of Quotes of the Week. Per usual, the list below features more than a dozen of the most memorable sound bites from the past seven days, including moments both scripted and unscripted from broadcast, cable and streaming series. More from TVLine Quotes of the Week: I May Destroy You, Greenleaf, Yellowstone and More Quotes of the Week: Stargirl, Blindspot, Penny Dreadful, S.H.I.E.L.D. and More Quotes of the Week: The Twilight Zone, Search Party, Yellowstone and More This time around, we've got bon mots and zingers from FBI, The Rookie, Grey's Anatomy, Severance, Daredevil: Born Again, Abbott Elementary, The White Lotus, Everybody's Live With John Mulaney, Farmer Wants a Wife and more. Also featured in this week's roundup: Jennifer Tilly delivers a stellar Real Housewives of Beverly Hills voiceover, Suits LA fails to stomach some hard liquor and Beyond the Gates makes a steamy impression. Plus, we've got double doses of Harley Quinn and The Righteous Gemstones. Scroll through the list below to see all of our picks for the week, then hit the comments and tell us if we missed any of your faves! (With contributions from Vlada Gelman, Rebecca Luther, Charlie Mason, Matt Webb Mitovich, Dave Nemetz, Ryan Schwartz and Andy Swift) 'At least you'll have a chance at living.' 'But I want to live with you.' Mark (Adam Scott) lets Helly (Britt Lower) know he doesn't want to escape Lumon if she can't come with him 'Now turn off that self-destruct, so you and I can get turned on. If you know what I mean.' 'We know what you mean!' Harley (voiced by Kaley Cuoco) needs no further reminder that her mom (Susie Essman) means to bone Brainiac 'So, you wanna go f—k s—t up?' 'You had me at 'wanna go f—k.'' Harley (voiced by Kaley Cuoco) and Ivy (Lake Bell) mark the end of another season with their usual plans '[Miles, locked inside a shop] Help!' 'No, no — this is what's called a 'teachable moment.'' Tim (Eric Winter) stops Celina from freeing Miles 'Could it have been a Skrull?' Facing a mound of evidence against him, Matt's new client grasps at shape-shifting straws 'It's not easy looking for a guy with two different-colored eyes without seeming like you want a date.' 'What, Scola, you're telling me you don't know how to flirt?' Scola (John Boyd) shares with Jubal (Jeremy Sisto) the snag with their latest manhunt 'But you're not a Buddhist!… Honey, you're not from China!' Victoria (Parker Posey) doesn't understand why a nice American girl like her daughter Piper would want to join a Thai monastery 'Just so you know, this is consent. Do you guys do that here? We just started.' Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) assures her handsome Thai spa buddy Pornchai that he has the green light 'Goddammit, Harvey, you lied! This is awful! I'm getting a pineapple juice.' Eddie (Carson A. Egan) is not a fan of the whiskey that Harvey ordered 'Previously on Crazy Yacht From Hell…' Beyond just promoting her to full-time Housewife, Bravo also needs to hire Jennifer Tilly to record all voiceovers from now on 'Evynn has just lost her damn mind. Who the hell does she think she is?' 'Your protégé.' Richard (James Pickens Jr.) refuses to read the room in which Catherine (Debbie Allen) is fuming 'Now I know a lawyer. If I get in trouble, you can get me off… multiple times, if necessary.' Eva (Ambyr Michelle) makes sure the first impression she makes on Tomás lasts 'Revolting. We sent our damn boy to military school to whip him into shape. He came back worse, and now he knows how to kill people.' Jesse (Danny McBride) is disappointed with his son Pontius' trajectory in life 'I'm a big-time TV mogul now, Lori. The biggest! Don't be jealous, Eli.' 'Jealous of what?' 'That I'm Tyler Perry, and you ain't! You're more like Luke Perry. Dead.' When delivered with Baby Billy's (Walton Goggins) cadence, sibling-in-law rivalry is always funny (even when the subject matter is dark) 'We even made it into the Netflix Top 10! Our show is right up there alongside Latino culture clash sitcom Welcome to the Family, a true crime doc about Gabby Petito, a Tyler Perry soap opera and Temptation Island. Netflix viewers have spoken loud and clear, and they are saying, 'We will watch whatever you show us.'' 'And I'll go hide the white kid. Anyone have bronzer?' Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis) tries to help the teachers hide contraband from the school district reps 'I ain't complaining, but… I thought this was a family show!' Farmer Jay is gifted with a framed photo of Julia as (scantily clad) cowgirl Best of TVLine Weirdest TV Crossovers: Always Sunny Meets Abbott, Family Guy vs. Simpsons, Nine-Nine Recruits New Girl and More ER Turns 30: See the Original County General Crew, Then and Now The Best Streaming Services in 2024: Disney+, Hulu, Max and More
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Severance Star, USC Marching Band Make Quite an Entrance at PaleyFest — Watch
Mr. Milkshake is bringing the USC band to the yard. Fresh off the Severance Season 2 finale, Tramell Tillman is showing off his real-life talent for 'choreography and merriment.' The actor on Saturday led USC's marching band into the show's PaleyFest panel at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, channeling his character's own finale plotline. (Watch video below.) More from TVLine Severance's Dichen Lachman Dissects Finale's 'Heartbreaking' Twist, Season 3 'Possibilities' for Gemma - Watch Severance's Bloody, Brilliant Finale Gives Us Some Long-Awaited Answers - and Another Huge Cliffhanger Severance Renewed for Season 3 at Apple TV+ Tramell Tillman leads a marching band into a #severance finale event at PaleyFest LA — The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 22, 2025 For the uninitiated, Tillman plays Mr. Milchick, who is sometimes called 'Milkshake,' in the Apple TV+ drama. The Season 2 finale, which dropped Friday, saw Milchick lead a full marching band and drum line in honor of Innie Mark's big achievement. And for fans of the show, the spectacle was no big surprise. Tillman's character has already demonstrated an appreciation for this kind of pageantry: He notably gifted Helly a 'Music Dance Experience' to lift her spirits in Season 1. The Severance panel kicked off this spring's PaleyFest series, which will also include Q&As with the casts of Cobra Kai (Saturday at 2 pm PT) and Agatha All Along (Saturday at 7 pm PT), Matlock (Sunday, March 23), The Handmaid's Tale (Wednesday, March 26), Hacks (Friday, March 28), and Poker Face and Amy Sherman-Palladino (Saturday, March 29). Watch the videos above and hit the comments with your reaction to Tillman's real-life parade! Best of TVLine Yellowjackets Mysteries: An Up-to-Date List of the Series' Biggest Questions (and Answers?) The Emmys' Most Memorable Moments: Laughter, Tears, Historical Wins, 'The Big One' and More 'Missing' Shows, Found! The Latest on Severance, Holey Moley, Poker Face, YOU, Primo, Transplant and 25+ Others
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Season 2 of Severance just ended. Here's everything mysterious and important we've learned
Warning: This review of Severance's Season 2 finale goes full spoiler. If you haven't watched it yet, and want to, stop here. But come back later. It'll be more fun than a waffle party. Usually, on a work day, our innie would write about news. Politics, global events and the such. But, like so many of you, our outie watched the Severance Season 2 finale last night, and the episode was so powerful that it infiltrated some deep, subconscious plane within our mind. All this to say, like the members of our beloved MDR team, our innie is rebelling, and now the only news that matters today is whatever-in-the-name-of-Kier we all just witnessed. And we're here to break it down for you. As Mark S. would say, "the work is mysterious and important." A global phenomenon, the dark and dystopian Severance has broken records as the most-watched series on Apple TV+. Last night, the highly anticipated finale to the second season, called "Cold Harbor," dropped at 9 p.m. ET. The Emmy-winning series follows Mark Scout (known as Mark S. on the severed floor, and played by Adam Scott) as he leads a team at Lumon Industries, where the employees have undergone what they call a severance procedure. The severing surgically divides their memories between their work and personal lives, or their innies and outies. Their inherently innocent innies work on seemingly mundane projects kept secret even from them at the cult-like Lumon, which was founded by the god-like Kier Eagen. Meanwhile, their flawed outies remain unaware of what goes on during their nine-to-fives. The show has touched a nerve with viewers who appreciate its take on compartmentalization, work-life balance, ethics, bodily autonomy and identity. For many, part of the show's irresistible draw is trying to piece together its meaning and mysteries (and there are many). Theories and conspiracies abound on TikTok and in online reviews, ranging from multiple timelines to innie/outie pregnancies to the real meaning of the goats. And last night, we finally got (some) answers. Here's what we now know about the inner workings of Lumon Industries. Warning: Seriously, folks. Spoilers. Don't say we didn't warn you. What's the meaning of the data? The biggest reveal came from Harmony Cobel, played by Patricia Arquette, when she finally tells innie Mark S. the meaning of the data he's been refining for two years. The numbers were pieces of consciousness for his outie's wife, Gemma (Dichen Lachman). "The building blocks of her mind," Cobel explains. Essentially, Mark S. has been creating multiple innies for his outie's dead wife on the testing floor. Yep. Twisted. This, of course, raises the question: What were the other MDR employees refining? Are they all creating innies, too? For who? Sweet merciful Kier. WATCH | Bonavista makes an appearance in Severance: What is Cold Harbor? We also learn the meaning of Cold Harbor, the name of Mark S.'s final file, as well as the name of the final room Gemma enters on the testing floor. It's the final test for Gemma after her other innies were tested in an endless loop of dentist appointments and turbulent plane rides. But this test is personal, by triggering her outie's most traumatic memory: losing her pregnancy, and her subsequent struggles with infertility. In having her disassemble a crib, in the outfit she last wore in the outside world, while one of her and Mark's favourite songs plays in the background, Lumon tests the emotional limits of her severance barriers. Which were holding, by the way, until Mark busted in and convinced her to leave with him. The theory, then, is that Lumon has been testing severing for the mass market. Ah, capitalism. Dichen Lachman, who plays Gemma, is seen in an episode from Season 2 of Severance. (Apple TV+) Why... the goats? I mean, why not the goats? But yes, many fans have been bewildered by the appearance of goats on the severed floor. Even more so this season, after stumbling into Lumon's creepy Mammalians Nurturable Department. Which is, essentially, an indoor field of goats and their oddball goat caregivers. In Cold Harbor, Lorne (Gwendoline Christie) wheels a particularly cute baby goat to a room near the exports hall to be sacrificed. And thus, their biblically dark meaning is revealed. The mystery of the Lumon goats is finally revealed in Cold Harbor. Here, we see the Mammalians Nurturable Department. (Apple TV+) "This beast will be entombed with a cherished woman whose spirit it must guide to Kier's door. Is it up to the task?" asks Drummond (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson) as he loads a gun. Luckily, before the little baby goat can be committed to Kier, they're interrupted by Mark S. awkwardly trying to bust in a door across the hall. An epic fight scene ensues, hearkening to Christie's Game of Thrones she-warrior brute strength as Brienne of Tarth. Get him, Brienne! Save Mark S. and Emile! Gwendoline Christie, who plays department head Lorne, goes full Brienne of Tarth to save Mark S. (and Emile) in Severance's Season 2 finale. (Apple TV+) Our favourite moment We have three words, and three words only: Choreography and Merriment. OK, we lied, we have many more words. Turns out, there is an entire severed department whose sole purpose is to entertain. And they formed a marching band. Then, performed in a scene so masterfully filmed (cameras on the drums! That timing with Gemma on the testing floor! Helly darting around them! Dylan G.! An innie rebellion!) that we laughed out loud multiple times while also nervously clenching our chest from the tension. WATCH | Introducing Choreography and Merriment: In some ways, the scene seemed designed specifically for the diehard fans who have been sharing memes and gifs of Milchick's (Tramell Tillman) unhinged dance moves from Season 1's "music dance experience" for years. A little "we see you and we thank you" moment. And we appreciate it. This scene was perfect in every way. No notes. As a runner-up moment, we must acknowledge Dylan G. (Zack Cherry) for his one-liner when Milchick finally escapes from the bathroom: "F--- you.... Mr. Milchick." A gentleman, always. Zach Cherry and Tramell Tillman are seen in the Severance Season 2 finale. Cherry delivers one of the best lines in the episode, when Tillman's character finally escapes the bathroom. (Apple TV+) Now what? First, we may never recover from the absolute heartache and dissonance of watching outie Mark find innie Gemma, outie Mark and outie Gemma reunite, innie Mark help innie Gemma escape, and outie Gemma plead with innie Mark to join her. In quick succession. Please, just give this duo an Emmy. But as innie Mark chooses Helly R., and the episode ends with them running back into Lumon together as Gemma wails on the other side of the door, we have to wonder: where.... are they even going? Are they just going to hide out in the labyrinth of the halls and hope no one finds them? Have they thought this through? Lower, who plays Helly R., appears just as Mark S. seems about to escape with his outie's wife, Gemma. No one knows who to cheer for in this love hexagon. (Apple TV+) And what happens to Gemma now? Can't Lumon just find her and bring her back? Is Milchick on Team Lumon or Team Innie? Will we ever see Irving again? In some ways, we have more questions now than answers. But luckily.... Season 3 is confirmed Cue the choreography and merriment! Apple TV+ confirmed today that they have renewed the show for a third season. "Making Severance has been one of the most creatively exciting experiences I've ever been a part of," said executive producer and director Ben Stiller in a news release. "While I have no memory of this, I'm told making season three will be equally enjoyable, though any recollection of these future events will be forever and irrevocably wiped from my memory as well." And it looks like fans won't have to wait three years this time. "No, no, the plan is not [to take that long]," Stiller said in the latest episode of the New Heights podcast, after Travis Kelce asked the question. Praise Kier.
