Ben Stiller Almost Had an On-Screen Role in ‘Severance’ S1: “It Didn’t Feel Right”
Stiller’s original character never made it to the screen, though the actor still had a minor, but notable role in one of Severance’s eeriest scenes — here’s where you can spot him.
Apple TV+’s sci-fi hit series Severance has been playing tricky games with its viewers’ minds not only thanks to complicated plot twists, but also with those hidden cameo roles you might have missed entirely in both seasons.
The show, helmed by Ben Stiller, comprises a leading cast full of big-name actors like Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Christopher Walken, Patricia Arquette and many more, with Stiller also becoming one of Severance’s main stars despite never appearing on the screen.
However, originally the team had an idea for a minor role that Stiller would have in front of the camera.
Even though this plan never worked out and the character was written off the show, the actor-director is still featured in the series’ first season. You just might have trouble spotting him though.
Ben Stiller Almost Played a Doctor in ‘Severance’ Season 1
Despite mostly remaining behind the camera as the show’s director and producer, there was a moment when Stiller considered putting on a doctor’s smock for a small role in Severance’s first season, though in the end the character just didn’t seem to fit in the entire story.
“We talked about it. There was a storyline that we were thinking about, but it just didn’t feel right. It’s great that I’m not in it. I’m very happy to not have my face on the billboard”, the director revealed in a recent interview with Variety.
Still, even without a notable on-screen appearance, the series does feature Stiller in one of the episodes where he voices the Lumon Industries’ founder Kier Eagan in a pixelated video played for Britt Lower’s Helly R. when she manages to complete her first MDR file.
Keanu Reeves Also Had a Hidden Cameo Role in ‘Severance’ Season 2
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Seemingly establishing a new tradition, the show continued with another big actor’s hidden appearance in the second season, bringing Keanu Reeves on board as the narrator of a presentation shown to the MDR department staff in the second season’s episode 1.
According to Severance’s creator Dan Erickson, the team considered several candidates for the cameo role, but Reeves’ voice turned out to be the best fit for the Lumon Industries’ eerie nature.
“All I can say is that we talked about a couple of different people for that role. We always wanted it to be somebody that people have certain associations with, but also, it had to be a very warm presence. The Lumon building is very friendly in the context of this video, and there’s a friendliness to that particular voice and a heart to that particular voice,” Erickson revealed in an interview with Collider upon the episode’s release back in January.
Will ‘Severance’ Have Season 3?
Yes, the show has been renewed for a third season which is currently expected to arrive on Apple TV+ sometime in 2027.
