Podcast Summary: All Of It

Episode: Season 2 Of 'Severance' Is Nominated For 27 Emmys
Date: September 1, 2025
Host: David Furse (guest-hosting for Alison Stewart)
Guests: Tramell Tillman (Milchick), Britt Lauer (Helly)

Overview

This episode celebrates the Emmy sweep of Severance Season 2, which garnered an impressive 27 nominations. The conversation, recorded when Season 2 first premiered, dives into the show’s themes of identity, memory, and work-life boundaries. David Furse explores both the creative process and personal journeys of stars Tramell Tillman and Britt Lauer, reflecting on the evolution of the series, the impact of fan theories, behind-the-scenes stories, and the immersive world the cast inhabits.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Season 2’s Long-Awaited Release and Rewatching Season 1

• Both Tramell Tillman and Britt Lauer rewatched Season 1 before starting press for Season 2.

• The long break between seasons (due to real-world strikes) made returning to the show feel nostalgically strange.

  • Tramell Tillman: “I look at it, I was like, God, I look like five years younger in season one. We look like babies.” (01:36)
  • Britt Lauer (on rewatch): “It was like watching a home video from high school or something—it happened such a long time ago.” (02:47)

2. Working With an All-Star Cast and Director Ben Stiller

• The collaborative, obsessive dedication of director Ben Stiller and the high-caliber cast was repeatedly highlighted.

  • Britt Lauer: “Ben Stiller is such a collaborative artist…showing up to set and getting to work with my heroes is a real surreal experience.” (03:17)
  • Tramell Tillman (on John Turturro & Christopher Walken): “To see that manifest on screen is wonderful...that feeling really fueled Milchick's performance and how he tends to these Innies.” (04:24)

3. Fan Theories and Viewer Engagement

• The cast notes how invested and imaginative the fanbase has become.

• Severance’s open-ended mysteries inspire a thriving community.

  • Britt Lauer: “The audience has become the other part of our show…their engagement with the show really has an impact.” (05:47)

4. Identity, Morality, and the Self ‘Kidnapping’

• The show’s philosophical core: are characters morally culpable for splitting themselves and imprisoning their “Innies” at work?
  • Tramell Tillman: “So much of this piece is about identity. When it comes to morality, as it pertains to Milchick, I think it's less about morality and more about service. He is in service of this company. He is in service of Kier…There is this 100% commitment to an entity, to an idea, to a belief, to a faith. They follow it 100%…That's so interesting about how these characters are so present and engaging with the audience.” (06:47–08:27)
• The relationship between the "Innie" and "Outie" selves explored, especially with Heli’s journey.
  • Britt Lauer: “What is my relationship to this other part of me? What is my relationship to myself? And what is my relationship to my given and my chosen family?” (09:07)

5. Crafting and Portraying Dual Characters

• How actors approached the challenge of playing two sides of one consciousness.

  • Britt Lauer: “I kind of started from, well, how are they similar? These are two sides of the same person...it’s the same person, but...different sides of the album.” (10:31)

6. Contraband, Self-Help, and Office Rebellion

• How the outside world’s trivialities—like a self-help book—become dangerous subversive influences on the inside.

  • David Furse: “This is contraband. I mean, he might have mocked it in the real world, but here this is like the guidebook to the revolution.” (11:29)
  • Tramell Tillman: “They're hungry for information, they're hungry for knowledge. And here is this mysterious text challenging everything that Lumen is standing for. So it is a threat." (12:19)
  • Britt Lauer: “The inner child that you see emerge from the Innies…is at odds with the inner critic that you see on the outside.” (12:59)

7. Strikes, Hiatus, and Life Between Seasons

• The cast’s experience with disruptions (SAG and WGA strikes), returning to set, and maintaining connection with their characters.

  • Britt Lauer: “We all kind of got out on the picket lines together…these costumes are so evocative. Like you put them on and…like it just comes right back.” (14:39)

• Lauer’s surprising circus interlude:

  • Britt Lauer: “After season one and after season two, I joined two different circuses…The circus makes me incredibly happy.” (15:05)
  • Lauer, on her role: “I was sitting on top of the tent as the audience arrived, playing my ukulele…And when the show began, I was a ringmaster of sorts.” (15:20)

• Tillman’s international travels:

  • Tramell Tillman: “I give myself the task to travel internationally at least once a year…explore culture and go see art and museums and taste the food.” (16:06)

8. Filming Locations and Production Design

• Most interiors are built on Bronx soundstages, but the cast occasionally films on location in New Jersey and New York.

  • Britt Lauer: “Those labyrinth-like hallways are actually built and do confuse us daily.” (17:07)

• The show’s ambiguous, retro-futuristic look is intentional.

  • Tramell Tillman: "I think it’s such a delight to have that quality in the show where you don’t know the era that we’re in. It feels timeless in that way." (18:31)
  • Britt Lauer: “It feels like we've been dropped into an art installation.” (19:14)

9. The Grand Central Cube Installation – Immersive Promo Event

• Recounting the viral Grand Central Station “cube” stunt, where cast members performed behind glass.

  • Tramell Tillman: “I thought I was just going to show up and stand by a Severance cube…Oh, no…We had so many questions as to how this works…It exceeded my imagination.” (19:46)
  • Britt Lauer: “We were performing moment for moment in front of people, and it was so fun…we had all these storylines going in there that you'll never know about.” (20:54)

• Live theater’s effect on the promotional event.

  • Tramell Tillman: "There's nothing like the magic of live theater, and there's nothing like having an audience around you…they were, like, really enthusiastic. They loved it. They were all in." (21:51–22:48)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Britt Lauer (on the show’s title): “Maybe that's the title of the show: Surreal.” (03:51)
• Tramell Tillman (on character motivation): “I think it's less about morality and more about service.” (07:00)
• Britt Lauer: “The audience has become the other part of our show…” (05:47)
• Tramell Tillman (on the Grand Central stunt): “It exceeded my imagination as to how it was going to go. And the turnout was just amazing.” (20:43)

Important Timestamps

• 01:03–03:17: Reflections on returning to Severance after a long hiatus
• 03:17–04:24: Discussing working with Ben Stiller and the ensemble, the on/off chemistry of Turturro & Walken
• 05:47–06:15: Fan engagement as “the other part of our show”
• 06:47–08:27: Morality, identity, and “service” in Severance’s world
• 09:07–10:31: Breaking down Helly’s internal and external selves
• 11:29–12:59: The significance of contraband and workplace rebellion
• 14:39–15:53: Navigating strikes, hiatus, and Britt’s circus adventures
• 17:07–18:31: Soundstages, real locations, and the timeless, surreal production design
• 19:46–21:27: Acting live in the Grand Central promo cube

Episode Tone & Takeaways

The mood is both playful and reflective, much like Severance itself—interrogating deep questions of identity, morality, and work culture, but always grounded in the camaraderie and delight of creative partnership. The cast is clearly energized by the show’s impact and by the devoted, invested audience that’s helped multiply its significance. Behind the clipped, unnerving aesthetic of Lumen’s world lies a passionate, thoughtful group of artists who’ve built something as surreal and communal as it is timely and thought-provoking.

Recommended for: Fans of Severance, TV buffs interested in behind-the-scenes artistry, anyone fascinated by the intersection of culture, identity, and storytelling.