Gwendolyn Y from Branch 5X (with Alia Shawkat)

Summary

The Severance Podcast with Ben Stiller & Adam Scott

Episode: Gwendolyn Y from Branch 5X (with Alia Shawkat)
Date: September 11, 2025

---

Episode Overview

This penultimate episode features Ben Stiller and Adam Scott joined by Alia Shawkat, who played Gwendolyn Y in the first episode of Severance season two. The trio dives deep into Alia’s career, her experience on Severance, the dynamics of joining an acclaimed show, acting processes, and some lighthearted behind-the-scenes stories. The hosts also take listener hotline questions, exploring the high school archetypes of the “Innies” and what the characters (or the actors themselves) might do to "stick it" to their Audis.

This episode is a warm, funny, and insightful look at acting, nostalgia, and the specifics that make Severance unique, with great chemistry between the hosts and guest.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Welcoming Alia Shawkat & Her Acting Journey

Timestamps: 03:22 – 20:13

• Introductions & Alia’s Accomplished Career

  • Ben and Adam express deep admiration for Alia and her eclectic resume (Arrested Development, Search Party, The Old Man, films like Whip It and 20th Century Women).
    • “She was so great. Oh, my God.” – Adam (04:14)
    • “She's such a great actress. She really is incredible.” – Ben (04:17)

• Watching Her Own Work & TV Habits

  • Alia doesn’t own a television and prefers watching her work with family in Palm Springs, providing a protective, communal environment.
    • “I don't own a television. As someone who makes money off television… but I have this routine where I go back to the desert to see my family, they have a huge television that's never off…” – Alia (10:37)

• Early Career and "Child Star" Realities

  • Discusses commuting for auditions, her first job (Barbie commercial at 9), and filming Arrested Development while not living in LA.
  • Shares the sacrifices her parents made:
    • “So you had three [kids] and you would leave to Los Angeles and come back the same night. That's crazy.” – Alia (14:33)
  • Laments missing an audition for “Blow”, jokes about life on set with Michael Cera, the “Jokewood Apartments,” and early Hollywood memories.

---

2. Arrested Development: Sensibility, Surrealism, & Growing Up

Timestamps: 15:18 – 20:13

• Finding Her Comedy Voice

  • She shares the experience of not always getting the jokes as a teenager, but benefiting from an environment that treated young actors like professionals.
    • “Me and Michael knew how to act, but we kind of didn't fully know why it was so funny.” – Alia (16:38)
  • The unique writing and cast set a high bar for future projects.
    • “It wasn't until it was over where I was like, why is everything so bad?” – Alia (18:13)

• Post-Show Career Reflection

  • Talks about struggling with industry expectations, resisting typecasting, and renewing excitement via Whip It.
    • “A lot of the responses I would get when I'd go on auditions for, like, the snarky teen was, Alia seems like she doesn't want to be here... and the truth is, I don’t.” – Alia (19:13)
  • Both hosts agree on the value of following one’s creative instincts.

---

3. Entering the Severance World

Timestamps: 23:42 – 40:11

• Landing the Role of Gwendolyn Y

  • Alia immediately accepted the role:
    • “There's a part in Severance. And I was like, yes. Just yes. All the way.” – Alia (24:15)
  • She didn’t know initially she’d be sharing the screen with icons like Bob Balaban:
    • “I think we thought it would be amazing to have you… kind of a misdirect, hopefully.” – Ben (25:05)

• Making an Impression in a Short Role

  • The limited appearance (“I am, but I am on the first episode”) became a running joke.
  • They play and break down scenes:
    • “Did you see any buttes?” – Alia as Gwendolyn Y (26:35)
  • Adam notes that filming these scenes felt like shooting an alternate version of Severance at the start of season 2.
    • “It felt like we were just starting a new show...” – Adam (27:45)

• Behind-the-Scenes: Acting & Directing Process

  • Alia and Ben discuss the Severance process: numerous takes, meticulous direction, and the surreal, cinematic style.
    • “It's like a film, like a high end film... so stylized and beautiful.” – Alia (29:02)

• Views on Multiple Takes & Actor Frustrations

  • Conversation about the acting process across different directors (Noah Baumbach, Kubrick, Fincher), repeated takes, and the feeling of finding the “right” performance after the camera is off.
    • “I think it's just an actor thing...I had it and now, like, I don't know if I'm going to get it again.” – Ben (29:40)
    • “You wear them down. And so by the time you're on take 57...they're just behaving like people do.” – Adam (31:30, on Kubrick)

• Theater vs. TV/Film

  • Alia shares about her unique performance piece “The Second Woman,” performing the same scene 100 times in 24 hours with different men, exploring social dynamics and repetition.
    • “It was a social studies. It was really, really amazing.” – Alia (37:19)

---

4. Chemistry on the Severance Set & Working with Co-stars

Timestamps: 37:41 – 40:11

• Dynamic with Adam Scott and the Cast
  • Alia describes Adam as welcoming and giving, making her instantly feel part of the show.
    • “Adam was so welcoming, and it just felt like we had been on the show forever.” – Alia (38:20)
    • Adam: “I wish she was just on the show.” (39:52)
  • Stories about Bob Balaban, Stefano, and joking on set.

---

5. Listener Hotline: Archetypes & Rebel Innies

Timestamps: 43:16 – 53:14

• High School Archetypes for Severance Characters

  • Emily from New Orleans asks what the outies would have been like in high school and their archetypes.
    • Hints at “The Breakfast Club” style:
      • Helley as a goth (“Helley's definitely would definitely be a goth, right?” – Adam, 44:19)
      • Irving as poetic nerd (“Irving seems like he's kind of the, like, poetic nerd. Intellectual.” – Ben, 44:41)
      • Mark as teacher's pet or “the nerd who ends up getting the girl” (Alia, 44:44)
      • Dylan as stoner/Judd Nelson type.
    • All three hosts share their own high school archetypes (theater kid, “other,” stoner rebel, “no identity”).
    • Excellent, authentic exchange about double lives and teenage alienation:
      • “When you feel like you rather be around adults when you're in high school, which I totally had. It is. It's a disconnect.” – Alia (49:14)

• “Sticking it to Your Audi” as a Severed Lumen Employee

  • Michelle asks what they would do if they felt rebellious toward their Audi.
    • Alia jokes about an Audi who parties, leaving Innie Gwendolyn to nurse hangovers.
      • “I like the idea that my outie was a smoker and, like, an addict. Like, she drank a lot... And then would have to deal with the flip side of it.” – Alia (52:07)
    • Ideas include giving the Audi a bad haircut, shaving off eyebrows, referencing Helley’s drastic move on the show.

• Personal Reveals

  • Alia shares she discovered she was pregnant while filming a later scene on Severance.
    • “That's when I found out I was pregnant when I came back.” – Alia (52:54)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I always will be [a child actor].” – Alia, on her identity (11:33)
• “I said yes. Just yes, all the way.” – Alia, on joining Severance (24:15)
• “Did you see any buttes?” – Gwendolyn Y (clip, 26:35)
• “It's like a film, like a high-end film...it's so stylized and so beautiful.” – Alia, on Severance production (29:02)
• “I am, but I am on the first episode.” – Alia, joking about her role (24:52)
• “When you feel like you rather be around adults when you’re in high school… it’s a disconnect.” – Alia (49:14)
• “Adam was so welcoming, and it just felt like we had been on the show forever…” – Alia (38:20)
• “I got home and, like, called my friend. I was like, I got drunk in the Golden Globes and I was, like, so embarrassed.” – Alia (46:49)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:22 – Ben & Adam catch up, intro Alia and recent projects
• 10:37 – Alia on watching her own work, childhood, and TV habits
• 14:33 – Parental sacrifices for Alia’s early career
• 15:18 – Arrested Development experiences
• 19:13 – Post-Arrested career struggles and renewal
• 23:42 – Alia joins Severance, scene breakdowns
• 27:45 – Adam recalls the odd start of Severance season 2
• 29:02 – Alia discusses Severance’s filmic style & acting challenges
• 31:30 – On Kubrick, multiple takes, and acting process
• 37:19 – Alia’s “The Second Woman” theater piece
• 38:20 – On-set chemistry with Adam and the cast
• 43:16 – Listener hotline: archetypes and rebellious innies
• 52:54 – Alia discovers pregnancy while filming Severance

---

Final Thoughts

This episode beautifully conveys the camaraderie between the hosts and guest, highlighting the unique character of Severance, while also delighting in the weirdness, nostalgia, and craft of TV and film acting. Listeners get a charming, candid glimpse of Alia Shawkat and a lively round of hotline questions that keep the tone funny, warm, and reflective.

Closing:
“Thanks for having me. This was super fun. Really nice to see you guys again and congratulations on such a masterpiece, truly.” – Alia (53:18)

Transcript

[A]

This show is brought to you by BetterHelp. There have been times when I've turned to some questionable places for help. Turns out not every barista needs to hear about my problems. And I don't know, I probably shouldn't be taking life advice from the guy who sold me that telescope I never ended up using Group Chats Also great place to get recommendations for places to go on hikes with your dog. But when you're looking for help around, I don't know, relationships, anxiety, other clinical issues, your buddies in the group chat might not have all the right answers. So instead group maybe just get some guidance from a credentialed therapist online with BetterHelp, therapists are clinically trained, so it's like talking with a friend who went to school just to help you and you never have to hear about their stuff. I found therapy to be incredibly helpful and I'm so glad I can get help from someone qualified and legitimate sometimes. Also, they have hiking recommendations, which is an added bonus. BetterHelp has been helping people find their match for over 10 years and they've got a 4.9 rating out of 1.7 million client session reviews. It can be tough finding the right therapist, but BetterHelp does the initial matching work for you so you can just focus on your therapy goals. Plus, it's so convenient you can join a session with a qualified therapist with the click of a button and you can switch therapists at any time. As the largest online therapy provider in the world, BetterHelp can provide access to mental health professionals with a diverse variety of Expertise. Find the one with BetterHelp our listeners get 10% off their first month at betterhelp.com/reservance that's BetterHelp H-E-L-P.com/Reservance this show is brought to you by the Farmer's Dog. Hey, it's me, Adam and I'm really excited about this one because we have two dogs and like every family who has a dog or two, we love ours to a borderline crazy degree. But here's the thing. I never really thought about what our dogs eat. I assumed kibble was fine, but I also honestly didn't know anything about it. Turns out kibble is like lumen levels of mysterious. The farmer's dog, however, is a different story. They make fresh food for dogs using real meat and vegetables and every recipe is formulated by their team of board certified vet nutritionists who are literal experts in what dogs should be eating. The farmer's dog also portions the food to your dog's unique needs so you know you're not overfeeding them. Why is that a big deal? Well, here's a fun Dogs who maintain a healthy weight can live up to two and a half years longer. And that's basically the amount of time you had to wait between seasons one and two of our show. That was a long time. Sorry about that. But if I get that much more time with our dogs, I'm in. So, yeah, I switched our dogs to the farmer's dog and you can too go try the farmer's dog today and get 50% off your first box of fresh, healthy food@the farmersdog.com severance. Plus you get free shipping right to your door. Just go to thefarmersdog.com severance this offer is for new customers only. The severance podcast with Ben Stiller and Adam Scott is presented by the farmer's dog. Try fresh, healthy food@the farmersdog.com severance.

[B]

Hey, I'm Ben Stiller.

[A]

I'm Adam Scott.

[B]

And this is the severance podcast with Ben and Adam where we talk to the people who make severance and also sometimes we talk to the people who influence severance. Sometimes we talk to our incredible fans. And just if it has anything to do with severance, we're talking about it.

[A]

Yeah, we do. We have and we will. But only for two more episodes.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Next week we're bringing in Yul Vasquez, who plays Mark's best friend, Petey. But in this penultimate episode, we're going to be joined by someone that Ben and I both love, who we were lucky enough to work with on severance.

[B]

Yep. Nice use of the word penultimate.

[A]

Thank you very much.

[B]

I like that word. I use that word in life.

[A]

I use it constantly.

[B]

You just did. But yeah. And our penultimate guest is Alia Shawkat.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Who played Gwendolyn. Why in first episode, season two. And one of Mark's new MDR teammates.

[A]

She was so great. Oh, my God.

[B]

So good.

[A]

So good.

[B]

And she's such a great actress.

[A]

She really is incredible and has done.

[B]

So many interesting projects.

[A]

So many interesting things. She was the iconic maybe in arrest Development. She was Dory on Search Party. Another great show starring another great actor, Christine Taylor. And she was Mona and Rami Yousef's new animated series, number one Happy Family usa. She was incredible. Incredible on the old man. She's been in movies like whip it, 20th century women being the Ricardo. So many great things.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. I'm excited to talk to her about her process and what it's. What it's like to jump into severance, too, what that experience was like for her. Felt very lucky to have her. And then after that, she's going to help us with some of our hotline questions.

[A]

Yes. Yeah. It's going to be fun. So let's get into it. How are you doing, Ben? How is everything?

[B]

Things are good, Adam, thank you. It's been a little busy lately.

[A]

You're shooting the Fokker in Law. That's very exciting.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. We're about three weeks into that and that's been really fun to work with the old gang and kind of jump back into that world.

[A]

Is it surreal to jump back into something that just. I found restarting party down 13 years after to be very strange, but then automatically we just locked in and it felt just like. Is it. Is it strange like that for you or fun?

[B]

Yeah, yeah. No, it's exactly that. Like, you kind of. At first you're like, this is just weird. And our whole, you know, we've had our whole life experience since. I think it's been like 13 or 14 years since the last one. And so you've had your whole life that's gone on, then all of a sudden you're back in this environment and doing these things that are so familiar.

[A]

Right.

[B]

You know, and I just feel like from scene to scene, I'm just constantly. Things are just, you know, things are happening to my character really well, just, you know, frustration, not quite understanding how to navigate situations.

[A]

Well, Gaylord Falker really does kind of get himself into sticky situations.

[B]

He does. But it's. Yeah, it's been really, really fun to work with Mr. DeNiro again.

[A]

Oh, man, how fun.

[B]

Yeah. And Ariana Grande is amazing. I have to say, working with her. She's just a total pro and, like, so, so funny and so talented. And so she's obviously this new element in the movie and she just feels like she's just such a part of it and has always been. And so that's been really fun.

[A]

She's incredible. What a brilliant piece of casting.

[B]

Yeah. And have you. Have you been checking out the US Open? Because as we're recording this, the final is about. The men's final is tomorrow and the women's final is today.

[A]

Yeah, I've been. I've been dipping in here and there and. Yeah, it's been very exciting. I've seen you sitting in the audience here and there along the way.

[B]

Yeah, I, I gone a couple of times, had a really fun time. Went with Owen Wilson one. One time, and that's been fun working with Owen, too, on the movie.

[A]

Oh, man.

[B]

Yeah, we saw Djokovic, a Djokovic match. And, you know, he got ousted yesterday, but, man, what a great run for him, you know, and just at this point in his career, playing at that level.

[A]

And Sinner has been incredible.

[B]

Sinner is like. Yeah, he seems like he's a tennis machine.

[A]

He's.

[B]

It's just. It's fascinating to watch how good he is from the baseline and just doesn't seem to ever miss. Doesn't, you know, can get to everything. I don't know. You know, these. These players, when you get a chance to watch up close, it's insane.

[A]

I can't imagine. I really wanted to go this year, and we just couldn't figure out schedule. But I would love to see that in person.

[B]

Yeah, it's fun, you know, and, like, people who show up, like Stan Smith, you know, the tennis great who designed the famous sneaker.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

So, like, you'll be standing there next to Stan Smith and look down and guess what he's wearing.

[A]

Stan Smith.

[B]

He's wearing Stan Smith's.

[A]

Incredible.

[B]

Which is what he has to do.

[A]

What if he was wearing Chuck Taylor's?

[B]

That would be weird. Yeah, that would be weird.

[A]

You know what I noticed on TV is these guys, either the male or female players on tv, you can't really tell. They just look like people out on the tennis court. But then you kind of see that they're serving down and you realize these people are all like six, five. They're all enormously tall, most of them, anyway.

[B]

Yes. I think that's, you know, the new sort of normal for, I think, to play tennis now is that you have to have that height. It didn't always used to be that way, even. Yeah. Djokovic in person, I guess everybody in person to me, seems tall.

[A]

Same, same.

[B]

But he definitely, you know, he's tall and Sinner's like, I think 6, 63 or 6 4. Yeah, yeah. And I think, you know, just the amount of the court that they can cover and the flexibility. I mean, Djokovic is just like. He's always been so flexible. It's almost like. Like Gumby or something. It's insane. You know, how he. And then to watch the return of service and how that happens, and then when they kind of like notch it up a little when they have to, you know, get there in a match. Yeah, really. Really.

[A]

It's just the amount of energy these players. Because those matches are long, man.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. The best of five.

[A]

It's Crazy.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I love the clothes too. I love all the fashion. I love the polo is everywhere. And just seeing what everyone kind of chooses to. To wear. There was a match the other day. It looked like someone had matched the other in what they were wearing. And I was just wondering if there are mind games as far as what they wear. I don't know anything about.

[B]

Well, there's definitely mind games that go on in terms of, like, the fashion mind game. That's an interesting angle. Well, you know, like, Alcaraz has got the sleeveless. You know, he's rocking the gu and.

[A]

Right.

[B]

That's definitely an intimidation factor.

[A]

I would do if I had those guns. I saw Turturro was there one day too.

[B]

I saw Turturro operating a camera.

[A]

Yeah. What was going on there?

[B]

I don't know. I just saw a clip that they let him operate one of the cameras, which, I mean, he is a director.

[A]

Sure is.

[B]

Yeah. And he seemed to be having fun.

[A]

I would let him operate anything.

[B]

Yeah, for sure. And he, you know, he loves Liberty New York Liberty basketball team. And. And Nick's, of course, he's a season ticket holder.

[A]

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

[B]

So he's a big sport.

[A]

Yeah. Okay. Should we get Aliya in here? Really excited to talk to her.

[B]

Let's do it. Yeah.

[C]

Hey.

[A]

Hey, Aliya.

[C]

Hi, guys.

[B]

Thanks for joining us.

[C]

Yeah, thanks for having me.

[A]

So happy you're here.

[C]

Me too.

[B]

Well, let's start. I mean, I could even just ask, do you like to. Or do you watch things that you're in?

[C]

You know, I've had this kind of routine because not to be that guy, but I don't own a television. As someone who makes money off the television.

[A]

How dare you?

[C]

That's a TV behind you, Right? But no, I just, like, haven't owned one. But it's weird because I grew up with, like, I fell asleep to tv. Like, TV was such a big part of my life as a kid. And then I just was like, I'm just not gonna get one and haven't. So I have this routine where I go back to the desert to see my family. They have a huge television that's never off usually. And we watched anything I've done there, I'll watch it once with them. And it's kind of this like narrative thing where I'm like, oh, they didn't use that scene that I was. And my mom's like, oh, but you look cute. I like that. You know, it's like a very kind of talked over experience. And it Kind of makes it easier for me in a weird way.

[A]

Interesting. And your family is out in the desert, like.

[C]

Yeah, like Palm Springs. Okay.

[B]

Yeah. You grew up in Palm Springs?

[C]

Yeah, I grew up in Palm Springs.

[A]

And you were a child actor. Everyone knows that, too.

[C]

I always will be.

[A]

Drive and, like, commute to LA for work and for auditions and stuff. Is it growing up?

[C]

Yeah. My dad and mom would trade, but mainly my mom, like, really helped me do that. And I never lived in LA till I was like. Because I moved to New York first, so I didn't even live in LA till I was like 21, I guess.

[A]

Oh, interesting.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So Arrested Development, you didn't necessarily live in Los Angeles.

[C]

No, we stayed in, like, those really weird, like, made up apartments, you know? And Michael Cera was staying at the Oakwood.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And I always said we called it the Jokewood.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And we stayed at, like, one level up. My mom was like, we won't stay there. Well, stay at the other. That's like the almost identical one. Identical one, but like they have valet or something.

[B]

Right, Right.

[C]

Yeah, but no, we. Because we used to shoot on Fox for the first season.

[A]

Oh, right. Way out there.

[C]

So we were way out there and just like, no social life. Like me and Michael and his mom and my mom going to Cheesecake Factory every night. That was it, you know, that was our life.

[B]

How old were you when you were.

[C]

Doing it, the pilot? I was 14. And then the first three seasons, it was like 15 to 18, pretty much.

[B]

And was that your first job?

[C]

No, my first job was a Barbie commercial, A national one.

[B]

At what age?

[C]

Nine. And then my first real job, like, later that year was Three Kings, the David O. Russell movie.

[A]

I just rewatched Three Kings a couple weeks ago, and I was like, there is Alia right there. So cute and heartbreaking.

[B]

No, I know. I watched it a couple years ago. I know. And I was like, oh, my God. Aliyah's in that, right?

[C]

Playing an Iraqi refugee, which is kind of my go to role. Yes. I'll always play that. Yeah.

[B]

And when you were a kid, you were doing in person auditions, right? It wasn't self tapes.

[C]

No. Oh, my God. Self tapes were so terrible.

[B]

That was self tape.

[C]

Yeah, it was really like. When I look back on it now, I feel like everything's changed so exponentially that it feels like it was the 50s. Like, the idea of what auditioning was like, it was like an empty warehouse and it was kind of dirty and there was like a light flickering in the corner and you, like, go down and sign in and there's one other girl who looks like you and you're like sitting there. And especially as a kid, you have your moms and everyone's mom is weird. And then you went in and I had to like, pretty much cry. That's kind of the main thing as a kid. They're like, can you get emotional in front of us? And I was like, yeah, sure. And just like sob. And then they come out and meet your parents. Cause they're like, oh my God. Like, your daughter's amazing. And I just remember being like, you know, you get that high. Being like, my parents, like, they came to talk, it must have gone well. They're talking to my mom. And then my dad is a Rocky. So when I did the callback or whatever with David O. Russell, he was really excited that I was actually rocking and met my dad and kind of gave my dad this, like, kind of big role on the set as like an advisor and stuff.

[A]

Oh, wow.

[C]

Yeah. So we got really involved in the. In the movie.

[B]

So you, like, were going from back and forth from Palm Springs to audition in la and then as a kid and your dad, I read, owns a strip club.

[C]

He does, he does. I mean, my parents opened it together and then he runs it. Yeah.

[B]

Amazing. So not. Not in showbiz. Showbiz.

[A]

A version of Showbiz Adjacent.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

But they were totally supportive of kind of going and doing this thing.

[C]

Yeah. I mean, I have two brothers and I think it was looking back on it, it's like, I don't know, I guess it's like a middle child thing being like wanting so much attention. But I realize how much sacrifice it was for my parents. Like now that I have a kid too, I'm just like. So you had three and you would leave to Los Angeles and come back the same night. That's crazy. And then make sure everyone did their homework and had dinner and get ready the next day.

[A]

Was that like a two and a half hour drive?

[C]

Something like that. And I would have to do my homework on the way up and then sleep on the way back. And then sometimes we do it twice a week.

[A]

Wow.

[C]

I remember the only audition we didn't make was for Blow, the Johnny Depp movie, to play his daughter. And we like, didn't get there in time. And my mom's like, I'm so sorry. But my mom was always so proud of herself. She's like, blow's the only one we missed. And you would have got it if we got there.

[A]

But arrested development on the 10 arrested development ended up being obviously such a seminal and important show. Do you feel like. I mean, you were 14 years old. Did it feel like a great fit at the time? Did it help kind of hone your comedic or just general sensibility, or did you come in with a sensibility that really fit into that show? Or, like, how did that.

[C]

Yeah, I mean, I like to think I had something special, obviously, as a child. But me and Michael talk about it a lot. Like, we genuinely would be. I mean, it was also back in the day, when you do table reads of a lot of the scripts in front of executives. And Mitch Hurwitz, the creator, would always be like, let's just make sure we pop it up a little. Like, the energy to sell these jokes. And we were like, yeah, yeah. So you go into these offices and everything felt, again, very old Hollywood compared to now. And me and Michael would be like. You know, we knew how to act like we would do it, but we kind of didn't fully know why it was so funny. Especially, like, the sexual tension between the cousins. I was aware of why it was funny, but I wasn't like. So, like, I didn't understand the nuances of, like, I'm sitting on his lap and it's a bumpy car ride, and that's why it's funny. You know, it's like. I think I even have a line where I say, and that's why it's funny. You know, like, that was my main line in the pilot. So I think me and Michael, some stuff was going over our head, but we were just learning in real time.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And then we were with this amazing cast of people who definitely never talked to us like we were children. And I mean that, like, in the best way. You know, sometimes. Not always the best way, but, like, for the majority, they would just kind of, like, treat us like adults and professionals. Like, they weren't like, oh, hey, delicate with us. So we just kind of had to learn quick. And reading scripts like that, like, those scripts were amazingly well written. There was nothing easy about them. Nothing was served. Nothing was like, flat out, like, this is what's funny about it. It was kind of confusing and surreal and meta. Tobias is in a wheelchair, bleeding from the ears, and I'm like, what is happening? It was just all so much at the same time that me and Michael just. Yeah, we just learned. And now we.

[A]

It also required something so specific from the two of you that wouldn't have worked if it was, like, two kid actors being cute and like, really selling. Like, you guys really brought your own very specific sensibility to it that really pushed it into a place where it. Where it felt new.

[C]

Well, thank you. Yeah. I mean, I was very. I was also a teenager, so I was, like, so insecure, and everyone was so funny, and Michael, obviously, is so funny, and sometimes he would get, like. A lot of my stuff, would set up his jokes, but I was like, I'm not the funny one. And I would, like, get so insecure because I was, like, 16, and I was like, and I'm fat and not funny, and I'm fat. But me and Michael were such good friends. We always had such a good time on set, but I don't think I was ever like, wow, this is an insanely good show. I was just like, yeah, this is the quality. Right. It wasn't until it was over where I was like, why is everything so bad?

[A]

Yeah. Why does everything else suck?

[C]

Why is everything else, like, the quality's crazy? And I was so bitter. I was like, oh, that was such a. It makes it easy when the writing and the people around you are so good because you just feel really taken care of.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And that you can kind of match it with just being natural or whatever.

[B]

Yeah. You guys were so grounded and real as younger actors, which you don't necessarily always say. I think the casting in that show is just.

[C]

Yeah, it's amazing.

[B]

Mitch Hurwitz is so, so talented, and it was so. Yeah. So the casting was amazing and so unique in tone. It's just like, there hasn't really been anything like that show since.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

After doing that, was it sort of like you said, like, there's a little bit of a letdown trying to find other stuff, or did you kind of just think, okay, now you know, I'm 17, 18, 19. Now you're into other stuff.

[C]

Yeah. I mean, I started painting. I moved to New York. I was, like, dating someone. I kind of. A lot of the responses I would get when I'd go on auditions for, like, the snarky teen was Alia. Seems like she doesn't want to be here from, like, my agent at the time. And I was like, the truth is, I don't.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Yeah. I was like, I've been doing this forever. Like, every. I always say, like, everybody kind of five or six years, or maybe it's the seven where you change completely. There's this moment where I'm like, am I going to do this? Is this really it? And I've been doing it since I was nine, so it feels like, yes, But I like to keep open this possibility, like, hey, maybe you're going to do something else. So I was having a cycle there where I was still young but had been doing it already for so long, and I was like, what do I do? And does this make me happy? And I was kind of a little resentful afterwards. I was just like, none of this stuff's good. I'm not going to try and be just like, a worse version of maybe over and over again. And then this film, Whip it came, and that's when I was like, okay, I'm excited about this.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, but that's good to be in touch with that instinct. I think it takes actors sometimes. It takes. Took me, I think, a long time to figure out, like, oh, wait, I should just go with, like, instinctually what I really, really like.

[A]

You know, it took. It took decades for me to even come close to that.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay, it's time for us to take a break. We'll be back with more from Alia Shawkat right after this.

[B]

Hey, Adam, you got any trips coming up?

[A]

We do, actually. We're gonna go for our first parents weekend, visiting our son, off at school.

[B]

Oh, wow, that's exciting.

[A]

Yeah. Wow.

[B]

You're already there. That sounds amazing.

[A]

We're already miss him and just can't wait to get over there.

[B]

Yeah, that'll be fun. And so what are you doing with your house when you're away?

[A]

Well, I'm not exactly sure. Why? What do you mean?

[B]

Well, I'm just saying that, you know, if you're away, you could actually be hosting an Airbnb.

[A]

Huh? Yeah, that's. I mean, I've used Airbnb on a few family trips before and loved it, but love Airbnb.

[B]

Christine is actually doing a movie right now. She's staying in an Airbnb.

[A]

Yeah, it's the best. It's so much better than a hotel. I guess this whole time, whenever we're out of town, we could have been making a little extra cash while we're gone.

[B]

See, that's what I'm saying. It makes total sense. Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how [e-mail] host I will. Good.

[A]

If you're into pop culture, media history, and the way we love to build people up and then tear them down, there's a podcast you should check out. It's called the C Word. Hosted by Lena Dunham and Alyssa Bennett, the C Word dives into the lives of women who were labeled crazy by the press, the public, sometimes even by history itself. Think socialites like Johnson and Johnson heiress Casey Johnson, stars like Mariah Carey and other highly successful women like Lisa Novak, who became known as the diaper astronaut. Every episode focuses on a woman who didn't play the game and paid the price. It's intimate, it's darkly funny, and it asks real questions about power, perception and the narratives women inherit. Search for the C word wherever you get your podcasts. This episode is brought to you by the Farmer's Dog. So employees on the separate floor of Lumen industry know their work is mysterious and important. The farmer's dog, on the other hand, isn't mysterious at all. Which is good, because what you feed your dog shouldn't be a mystery. The Farmer's dog makes 100% mysterious free fresh food for dogs. And they always use real meat and real vegetables, which are gently cooked to retain vital nutrients and avoid the risks that come from ultra processing. Their recipes are developed by their team of board certified vet nutritionists so they can ensure that your dog's food is always complete and balanced. The farmer's dog food is made to human grade safety standards, which are the same safety standards as the food that you and I eat. Because as far as I know, if you're listening and understanding this podcast, chances are you're a human being. The Farmer's dog also portions the food to your dog's unique needs, making it easy to keep them at a healthy weight. So go try the Farmer's dog today and get 50% off your first box of fresh, healthy food@the farmersdog.com severance. Plus you get free shipping right to your door. Remember, you can't get it at stores. You can't get it at Lumen. You can only get it@the farmersdog.com severance. This offer is for new customers only.

[C]

What's your picatooti wing like? Do the Egans move?

[A]

No.

[C]

Huh. Probably because it's an older branch. Ours were animatronic. They even did this little choreographed dance. So yours just stand there?

[A]

That's weird. In my first perpetuity wing, the Egans were brooms.

[C]

Brooms.

[A]

Each with a face made of a plate.

[C]

A plate.

[A]

We were very poor. It was such a big deal that you and Bob Balaban and Stefano were coming in to play these roles. How did that end up kind of happening? Coming together?

[C]

I mean, I just remember getting like, talking to my agent. They're like, okay, so there's a part in severance. And I was like, yes. Just yes. All the way.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

It was just one of those kind of beautiful, simple things where I was like, so excited about it. And I remember, I don't think I knew that it was gonna be Stefano and Bob Balaban till like a week before, but I was so excited. And I was also so excited that Ben was directing the episode. I was like, oh, that really makes it such a cool thing. You know, I felt the same way.

[B]

So excited that you were doing it and we really. And also because it was sort of, you know, this sort of kind of like, I would say, like, cameo ish type part.

[C]

Yeah. I will say. So many of my friends are like, oh, my God, you're on Severance. And I was like, I am, but I am on the first episode. And everyone was like, allie, I was on severance. It was like one of those things where I was like, wait, slow down. I'm only in the first episode.

[B]

Yeah, but you know what? It was like, it was interesting because, like, that was also one of the reasons why I think we thought it would be amazing to have you is because, like, it felt like you really could be like, oh, yeah, we're introducing.

[C]

Yeah, it's like a red herring or.

[B]

A little bit of a red herring, you know, which is kind of cruel to the audience, but yet, like, to kind of have a little bit of a misdirect, hopefully, you know.

[C]

Totally.

[B]

But then after is like, oh, man, it's too bad because you fit in so well to the world.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

The show easily could have gone in this Ali Ed, Bob Balaban direction.

[C]

It would have been even more depressing. Probably. They had no hope.

[A]

Should we listen to a quick clip of.

[B]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, let's listen to. Yeah, let's listen to. Then we'll break it down.

[C]

So did you really see the AVI World? Yeah. How's the sky?

[A]

I don't know.

[C]

What, you didn't see it?

[A]

Well, I went outside for a second, but I was distracted by my brother in law.

[C]

Seriously. Because we made a list of what we'd most like to see on the outside. And this guy wasn't easy. Number one, brothers in law weren't even on the list. Grazie. Can you tell what state we were in? Because three of us put Wyoming on our input survey. Did you see any buttes?

[A]

No.

[C]

Oh, my God. How's wind? Is it just like getting breathed on? Kind of. Hello, refiners.

[A]

Hello, Ms. Wong.

[C]

Oh, no, it's the ball game. Let's head to the kitchenette.

[B]

Yeah. What a weird setup. The whole Thing was just so weird shooting that.

[A]

Did you see any buttes?

[C]

Yeah. Also, I remember the ball. We tried lots of stuff. Or she, like, throws the ball at me or like I run after the ball or something. She was great, too.

[B]

Yeah. Sarah Bach. That was, like, her first stuff. And you and Bob in the ball scene. I loved it. Cause there was just this whole history, just in two, like, looks between you.

[C]

That we, like, hated each other.

[B]

Yes. About your whole work history together without any dialogue.

[C]

Awesome. But, I mean, it's such great writing. It's, like, so surreal that it comes back to making so much sense. Like, I feel like that's good writing where it could be, like, the most obtuse idea and yet it makes all the sense in the world. Like, you guys have known each other forever, you know? Cause it doesn't have to say it. It's really fun to play.

[A]

It says you guys worked together at Branch 5X, but there's no explanation beyond that.

[C]

That's all you needed to know.

[B]

Yeah, but in episode two, you kind of get a little bit of the, like, the idea of what happened there.

[A]

In terms of the story. That's right.

[B]

You know?

[A]

That's right.

[B]

Another Milchick attempt. It was funny to me because shooting that episode was the very first thing we shot for season two. So the first couple of weeks. And Adam, I'm curious how you fel. It was like doing this alternate version of Severance for the first couple weeks.

[A]

It was so weird, starting with all of this stuff with Aliya and Stefano and Bob, because it had been a couple of years since we shot the show, and it felt like we were just starting a new show, and it wasn't for. I don't think Britt and every Tramell came in, like, after a week, but then everyone else didn't start for a few weeks, so it was just us doing this. And I remember, like, on the third day, and we were still shooting the first scene.

[C]

I know. In the same set, which I guess you've gotten used to, but that was crazy.

[A]

I remember you being like, so does it always take this long?

[C]

Right. Yeah.

[A]

I was like, yeah, pretty much. Yeah.

[C]

Yeah, I know. I do remember this. Like, we would cut, and then I think Ben or someone, he would come in and just, like, kind of move a cup slightly to the left. And you'd be like, okay, let's go again. And I'd be like, oh, my God. And I was like, that's why it suffers. That's why it suffers.

[B]

And you're like, so my Performance doesn't really matter at all.

[A]

Well, there was this walk we had across the room, remember, where you're like following me, asking me questions.

[C]

Yeah. To like the cabinet or whatever.

[A]

Yeah, that's right. That we did a lot. Because there were a lot of different. Like, they were following us. There was like Steadicam and there was just like. We did.

[C]

It's like so much. It's like a film, like a high end film. You know what I mean? It's not this kind of like we're shooting over the shoulder and like, I'm messy, whatever, you know, it's like, it's so stylized and so beautiful. And then when you watch it all come together, you're like, oh, of course. But yeah, a lot of the stuff I shoot, especially television, doesn't usually have that kind of pacing.

[B]

Adam and I were talking about this earlier in terms of like doing multiple takes and things.

[A]

How do you.

[B]

How do you feel about that as an actor? Because we were saying, like, sometimes I'm acting in a movie now. It's like I'm feeling the other side of it where it's like, okay, I thought I got it like two takes ago.

[C]

Well, it must be hard too, when you're like such a big director and you're like. Then you flip again and you get kind of impatient. Right. I can imagine.

[B]

But I think it's just an actor thing. It's just more like that actor. I don't know, I feel sometimes that actor sort of thing of like, I had it and now, like, I don't know if I'm going to get it again and, you know, that sort of thing. But are you. Do you like a lot of takes or are you.

[C]

I usually. I'm a little more fly by the seat of my pants. Like, let's. I like a rehearsal. I love doing, like kind of rehearsals. And then we start shooting when it feels right and we kind of just do like a couple. But at the same, I will say that when I've done things where there are lots of takes, certain things, it gets like, oh, my God, this sucks again. And then it starts to be like, oh, wait, actually, now it's coming back around. Or I'm getting so loose that I'm like, this actually makes sense. This is why we do it again. You know? But it does have that low of like, oh, I'm terrible and I'm just saying words.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, I know. I hate that feeling. And I was actually doing a scene last night where, you know, we shot the scene and then we shot my side of it, my. My angle, and then they turned around to shoot the other actor. And during the other actors takes, I was like, oh, my God. I. You know, I. Now I got.

[C]

Now I figured it out. I know that always happens.

[B]

That always happens. Right. When it's not on you or even like improvising. I was like, oh, I came up with like a funnier line that'll haunt.

[C]

Me for the rest of my life sometimes. Yeah. In bed you're just like, well, I guess I'm not bold enough.

[A]

Yeah. And then on the drive home, you're like, oh, Jesus Christ. That's what it was supposed to be.

[C]

That's what it was this whole time.

[B]

Exactly, exactly. There was a story that Billy Wilder used to say that. He said, like at La Cienega, in Melrose, he used to shoot movies, you know, like at Paramount. And he said that, like, he'd be driving home to like Beverly Hills from Paramount and like on Melrose and he get to La Cien again, that would be where it hit him that, oh, that was what I should have done.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Seriously, he felt that way. I guess it's like that David Fincher, Stanley Kubrick thing of doing it like 75 times.

[C]

Yeah. Because they do it a lot, right?

[B]

A lot.

[A]

And I think at least Kubrick's thing was like the actors, you wear them down. And so by the time you're on take 57 or whatever, they're not thinking at all and they're just behaving like people do.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

At least that was his thinking, why he did that. At least that's a theory of why he did that.

[C]

I mean, that makes sense. It's just like, who has the time, I guess, Right?

[B]

Yeah. Well, I've done. I've done a few movies with Noah Bond back, and he does that.

[C]

Oh, wow.

[B]

He does like an average of like, I'd say 35 takes.

[C]

Oh, my God.

[B]

And I'm always amazed at how he's able to do it. And then movie, you know, doesn't shoot forever.

[C]

Right, Right.

[B]

But somehow they figure out that, okay, there's going to be these three angles and we're going to have time today to do, you know, this many takes.

[C]

And then imagine when they edit, they're just like, are they looking through take one even? Probably not. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. No, no, that's interesting too. I think. I mean, just know his process is like he. I think he. Not to speak for him, but I. I think he doesn't like, even look at an assembly of the Movie. A lot of times you're making a movie, the editor's putting together scenes without the director looking at them, and then you wrap the movie and there's an editor's assembly of all the scenes, kind of like a big long version of the movie.

[A]

He doesn't do that.

[B]

I don't think he does. I think he just does all his takes and all that. And then he starts from the beginning with his editor and just goes through the takes and starts to put it together piece by piece.

[A]

Whoa.

[B]

Wow.

[C]

Meticulous.

[B]

Very different.

[A]

So on Greenberg, where you're in every single scene, let alone every single shot of the movie, how was that doing that many takes for. And chipping away at the role in the movie like that? Yeah.

[B]

You know, I think it's that thing of trust with the director where you just, you know, you just go, okay, I'm getting to be in a Noah Bombach movie. This is his process, you know, this is what I'm lucky to be here. Yeah. And kind of just. He's not giving a lot of feedback. Direction wise, too. You know, he's not really saying a lot. So I trust if somebody's not saying anything to me that, you know, just do. Right. Keep going. Right.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

And he's looking for something. I guess I remember it more on the Meyerowitz stories where, like, doing scenes where we do them a lot. And, you know, it was funny with Dustin Hoffman, too, because Dustin is so funny. And he would like, get kind of a little bit, like, kind of cranky after, like, take 30, as we all. Yeah, seriously, we would get, like, sort of conspiratorial, like, what the hell is this guy doing? You know? But, like, it's all kind of like, you know, we're just. We all know his process, but when you're in it, it can drive you crazy.

[A]

Of course.

[B]

Yeah. And I think no one knows it, too. And he just sort of like, oh, this is what, you know.

[C]

But it works for him, obviously.

[B]

Oh, it does. Yeah. For sure. And. And like I said, like, everybody feels, you know, happy to be there and do it, because it's nothing like any other experience that I've ever had doing that.

[C]

Like, I didn't.

[B]

You know.

[A]

But also those relationships in Meyerowitz stories between you and Dustin Hoffman and Sandler, and they're all so complicated that I'm sure that brought all sorts of different stuff to it, too.

[B]

Yeah. I do think, like, that thing after you do it a number of times where you start to kind of explore it. A little more. Have you done a lot of theater, Aaliyah?

[C]

No. It's funny, though. I just got kind of asked for something that I think I might do.

[B]

Really?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

That's great.

[C]

But I don't know. You have 100%, so I won't talk about it. But I am, like, I'm really into the idea of theater.

[A]

I think you should do it.

[C]

I think you should do. Yeah, right?

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[C]

Okay. Yes, you should. It's cool.

[B]

You definitely should. But, you know, like, in theater, when you're doing a play, it's kind of like that, where you're doing it over and over and over again, but, you know, it's just on a nightly basis. And you really do go so much deeper because you have to kind of figure out ways to make it fresh and new. And also, you find things in the writing that maybe you wouldn't have thought.

[C]

Of course. Well, they say, like, theater's for the actor, TVs for the writer, and movies are for the director or something like that. But I feel like I haven't really. I did the performance piece at BAM once called the Second Woman, where I was on stage for 24 hours. It was wild, and, like, I did the same scene with a hundred different men, and I was dressed up like Gina Rowlands from opening night. And that's the name of the play in that movie, the second woman, 24 hours. So for 24 hours, I was on stage.

[A]

And did you sleep at all?

[C]

No, no, no. I was on stage the whole time. I would have seen two and a half hours. I'd have a break for, like, 10 or 15 minutes so I could pee and eat a piece of chicken. And then there was these two directors, these Australian women, who are amazing, and they were like, all right, you need to really push the energy here and make sure it's this.

[A]

Whoa.

[C]

But the idea is that you do the same scene over and over again with men to kind of. And then I was in this kind of mesh box that was being filmed, and there was a TV next to it, a screen, so it looked like a cinema, like, at the same time, but like someone was filming it with a Steadicam. And the audience. Yeah, could come. Of course, there's three New Yorkers who brought blankets and snacks. And we're like. We're here the whole time, but otherwise it would come and go. And it's like a study about how men kind of look from the outside in a way, because some people would react very differently than others from the same scene.

[A]

I Think how women get into situations with men where they just have to kind of do the same thing just to get through it.

[C]

Exactly. Yeah. And at the end, there's Chinese food that I kind of throw on them. And some people kind of laugh and some are embarrassed and some get angry, you know, like. Or they know they're being watched. Cause they weren't actors. Even though a couple actor friends of mine snuck in.

[A]

So they were just men coming in.

[C]

They would pick people up off the street kind of, and make sure they weren't crazy. There was, like, one guy who was like. I think he was just, like, acting and trying to make it seem like he was mean.

[A]

And you were like, I wish this wasn't mesh. I wish this was a steel cage.

[C]

Yeah, exactly. And I was like, I want to bring you home with me. No, but I was, like, genuinely, like, a little nervous. But I kind of like, kicked him out, you know, because I can't say anything outside the dialogue, you know. But it was a. It was like a social studies. It was really, really amazing. So that was the only thing.

[B]

So you're playing off of all these different non actors.

[C]

Yeah, except Josh Hamilton came once and Chris Abbott.

[A]

Oh, cool.

[C]

And so that was cool because they surprised me. They knew I was doing it. And so when Josh came on, I was like, ah. And that was really fun.

[B]

Chris Abbott played my son in the last play I did.

[C]

Oh, no way.

[B]

Like, 15 years ago. Yeah.

[C]

Yeah. He's a great guy. For a long time. Yeah, he's really.

[B]

In terms of how you react, I mean, like, even doing on the show, on severance, like working with Adam, you guys seem to have a very good, you know, kind of back and forth, you know, comedically. Again, like, you know, going back to Arrested Development. And also Search Party was just an amazing.

[C]

Oh, thanks, guys.

[B]

Such a great. The tone in that show. So interesting how it could go in, you know, from really funny to very serious to weird and out there. But tonally, you know, for severance and working with Adam, what's it like kind of going back and forth with him? And did you feel like you had to kind of. Was it sort of like just plugging into that, or was it like.

[C]

I gotta say, it was really hard. No, I mean, it's all about Adam. Yeah, I just have to kind of work around his orbit. No, I mean, you know, to talk about you here, but Adam's, like the nicest guy and so giving to be the lead of this, like, the most popular show on television, you know what I mean? It could be many different things, but. But we've met briefly before in different environments several times. So I felt like I was like, no, I know Adam, but it's like, always nerve wracking coming onto. Especially this big set where it's like, there's a big crew and everyone has an important job to do. It's not this kind of small. Like, we'll figure it out. It's like, no, we show up and we do our thing. So it's always a little nerve. But Adam was so welcoming, and it just felt like we were. Had been on the show forever, you know, Adam was just so, like, jokey and relaxed and sharing stuff with us. And, I mean, I remember this one scene, which I don't even know I actually made it, but where I had to do a fake dance.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[C]

And every take, talk about I didn't figure it out till the reverse. I was like, I could have done. I should have done one where I just didn't move. I think I did that on your coverage. And Adam was like, it was so fun. I just enjoyed trying to make Adam laugh as much as possible. And that was like, It's a really nice quality when someone encourages you and you're like, oh, I could just go for days. Now I'm just on a joke roll. And it's a nice feeling. Cause it's like. Like gives you confidence to be loose and to have fun.

[A]

It was super fun. I remember we just sort of. It was very. I felt like right at home with Ellie, and I was like, oh, man, she. I wish she was just on the show.

[C]

I know. And then with Bob Balaban, who is, like, you know, such a legend, and everything he said was so funny.

[B]

I know.

[C]

It's just so beautiful.

[A]

Stefano.

[C]

And Stefano's so good. Love Stefano. Yeah.

[B]

You guys were just so specific and unique, and I love that group.

[C]

Totally. Yeah.

[A]

Now it's time for us to take a quick break, but when we come back, Ben, Alia and I will answer some of your hotline questions. We'll be right back.

[B]

Adam.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I want you to close your eyes and imagine you're working in Lumen's HR department.

[A]

Okay, give me a second. It takes me 10 minutes to close my eyes. Oh, wait, I did it right away.

[B]

Okay. Keep them close. If our partner ZipRecruiter was helping Lumen hire for various roles, how do you think HR would feel about Zip Recruiter's ability to search resumes quickly via keywords?

[A]

Let me get into character here. I think they'd Love it. It's efficient, it's targeted. We can search words like cure, lover, and affinity for long hallways.

[B]

Okay, you can open your eyes now.

[A]

Thank you.

[B]

So if you were actually a business owner. Owner. And not an actor who plays a guy who works at a weird company like you do in the show.

[A]

Hey, wait a second.

[B]

ZipRecruiter has all these tools and features and more, and they're designed to make hiring faster and easier. So see for yourself when you try ZipRecruiter for free at ZipRecruiter.com severance ZipRecruiter excels at speed.

[A]

It's smart technology. Starts showing your job to qualified candidates immediately. And if you've got your eye on an exceptional candidate, you can use ZipRecruiter's invite to apply message to personally reach out to them.

[B]

Yeah, see how much faster and easier hiring can be with ZipRecruiter. Four out of five employers who post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day.

[A]

You know what? Lumen should make ZipRecruiter a perk. It's way more fun than a finger trap.

[B]

Finger traps are not even fun.

[A]

No, I actually get legitimately claustrophobic when I use a finger trap.

[B]

Yes, I know. Even the prop ones.

[A]

Totally.

[B]

Because the finger traps are real.

[A]

Freaks me out when I use it.

[B]

You know what else is real?

[A]

What?

[B]

Ziprecruiter.com is real. So go to it. Ziprecruiter.com severance right now to try it for free.

[A]

That's right. Ziprecruiter.com S E V E R A N C E.

[C]

Get smoother, brighter skin instantly. In one easy step, Dermalogica's daily microfoliant gives you the smooth, glowy skin you want without damaging your skin barrier. This gentle exfoliating powder activates with water to smooth out rough texture and brighten skin. It's powerful enough to deliver results, yet gentle enough to use every single day, even on sensitive skin. See the results for yourself. Visit dermalogica.com and use code Smooth at cart for an exclusive free gift with $65 purchase.

[A]

New fall arrivals are at Nordstrom Rack stores now. Get ready to save big with up to 60%. Vince, Kurt, Geiger, London and more. How did I not know rack has Adidas?

[C]

Cause there's always something new.

[A]

Join the Norty Club at Nordstrom Rack to unlock exclusive discounts on your favorite brands.

[C]

Shop new arrivals first and more.

[A]

Plus, get an extra 5% off every rack purchase with a Nordstrom credit card. Great brands, great prices. That's why you rack.

[B]

All right, let's go to some hotline questions. Will you answer some hotline questions?

[A]

We have people coming up.

[C]

Oh, you guys really do.

[A]

Oh, my God. That's so cute.

[C]

How long you guys been doing this?

[B]

We've been doing this for, like, 18 years.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Nice. So even before this was a way.

[B]

Before Severance, we had a morning zoo show back in the 90s on KXPX.

[A]

Giraffes Morning Drive time.

[B]

Okay, let's go to our first hotline question.

[D]

Hi, Ben and Adam. This is Emily calling from New Orleans, where the heat index in August is way hotter than the actual temperature. Sure. I'm a high school teacher. We just went back to school, and so I want to know what you think our outies would have been like in high school. What kind of kids would they have been? And perhaps more broadly speaking, are there any characters on Severance who you think would have fit real, like, teenage archetypes, such as the jock, the goth? All right, thank you so much. Love you both. Praise Kieran.

[A]

I think Helley's definitely would definitely be a goth, right?

[B]

Yeah. I think that's an interesting idea, though, of, like, the. Any sort of, like, their Breakfast Club sort of prototypes. Right. Or, you know, I think Irving seems like he's kind of the, like, poetic nerd. Kind of poetic nerd. Intellectual. Yeah. Yeah. What about Mark?

[A]

Mark maybe the, like, teacher's pet.

[C]

Yeah. Or like, the nerd who ends up getting the girl.

[A]

Right.

[C]

Kind of vibe.

[B]

Not the Judd Nelson.

[A]

I think that's Dylan.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

The stoner Judd Nelson kind of guy.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. Okay.

[A]

But wait, we're thinking of what the Audis would. What their high school archetype would be.

[B]

No, I think it's what the Innies high school archetype would be. Okay.

[C]

Cause the Audies didn't know.

[B]

Right, Right. But what was your. Like, what were you in high school? Each of you? Yeah.

[C]

Oh, gosh. What was I in high school? I mean, since I was working, I was, like, a weird professional who would, like, leave town and then come back, and everyone's like, where were you? And I was like, oh, I was doing this show. And they're like, okay. Like, everyone was kind of mean to me.

[A]

So did it make you, like, an other?

[C]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was really popular in middle school because I went to a small school and then high school just, like, it all turned.

[A]

Because you were gone for three months.

[C]

I was gone, and I was doing arrested Development, and I would tell them, like, I was doing this show and they just kind of like. It was like they didn't believe me.

[A]

Right.

[C]

You know, they were like, oh, you're in la. And I was like, we just won an Emmy. And they were like, okay.

[A]

So they didn't watch Arrested Development?

[C]

No, no one watched it. No one in high school, when I was doing high school. Now it's like, kids love it. But when we were younger, we did go to these award shows, me and Michael and the cast, but nobody knew who we were, so no one really cared because we were like 16 year olds, you know? But we went to the Golden Globes once and we lost to Desperate Housewives.

[A]

For comedy?

[C]

Yeah. Literally for best comedy. They won every year.

[A]

That's crazy.

[C]

And I was just wasted. And I was like 16 years old and I was just, like, drunk on champagne and I had this long chiffon dress and we were just like, walking around and I was going up to every celebrity. Like, I saw Will Ferrell and I was like, I love you, you're so funny, you know? Or like, Ewan McGregor. I was like, oh, my God, I have a crush on. Yeah, I was just like a drunk child, you know?

[A]

That's so cute.

[C]

And then I remember we were leaving and my mom, like, we met up with my mom, and she was like, I had a champagne flute. And Michael always tells the story. I was just standing there and I just threw up in my champagne flute. It just, like, filled up the flute. And my mom was like, you're drunk. And then I. I got home and, like, called my friend. I was like, I got drunk in the Golden Globes and I was, like, so embarrassed.

[B]

Oh, my God. That's funny.

[A]

That's amazing. That's such a.

[B]

Interesting dilemma for a kid.

[C]

Yeah, I know. I felt very like I was living two lives. Like, I wanted to go back to LA because I was, like, treated with respect. Michael was like my best friend, and we would hang out and then I'd go to the desert and all of a sudden just be like, I'm just like a regular kid again. Just kind of like shoved into this.

[A]

And these dumb dumbs are treating you like shit.

[C]

Yeah. Cause I went to a private school, so it was kind of like annoying rich kids, but I had other really good friends. And I would say I became, if I had to pick an archetype, I became like the stoner rebel.

[A]

Sure.

[C]

Yeah. I was like, I'm a badass and I like to smoke weed.

[A]

That's the coolest.

[C]

Yeah, it's pretty cool.

[B]

Adam what were you in high school?

[A]

I was like, theater kid. I was a theater kid, but I was very conscious there was a real social stigma to being a theater kid. At my high school, they called them drama mags.

[C]

You grew up in Santa Cruz, right? Santa Cruz.

[A]

Have you been to Santa Cruz?

[C]

I've been camping there once.

[A]

Oh, really?

[C]

I love it there. Yeah.

[A]

Henry Cowell.

[C]

Yes, exactly.

[A]

Really?

[C]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

So I also. I straddled being a theater kid, but also was on like the water polo team and the swim team. Just. Cause I didn't want my identity to be completely absorbed by directing and acting in plays and all that stuff. So I was kind of doing both. It was important to me to like, maintain some popularity and very well balanced. Yeah, yeah. It didn't totally work. My grades were terrible because I was spending all my time maintaining this, like, social balance. How about you, Ben?

[B]

I didn't really have an identity in high school, which is the worst thing. Like, I didn't fall into one group. You know, I have a break, a bunch of friends. I was not the cool kid for sure. But I also kind of had a similar sort of double life thing going on because I would do like little acting things. Like I was on a soap opera for a few weeks and I was auditioning and trying to get work. I wasn't really working that much, but like, in my mind, it kind of. I just dissociated from my high school life and it's like, no, this is really like what I'm. What my real life is, or my parents, you know, were actors. And of course I was going and hanging out with them where they were working and liking that so much more. So I never really, like, fully engaged in high school. I had a bunch of friends. I was in a, you know, band in high school, but we weren't. Again, not semi nerdy, like the, you know, almost nerdy group, but not totally.

[C]

When you feel like you. You rather be around adults when you're in high school, which I totally had. It is. It's a disconnect.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

You know, where you're just kind of like, I get along with adults better. I'm ready for the environment. Like, I want to go, you know, like, I'm doing stuff.

[A]

What am I doing?

[C]

Yeah, I don't want to wait here anym. I had that a lot.

[A]

And Ben, did you. Were there other kids in your school that were going off and like, doing acting jobs or was that just like a completely weird thing for you to be doing?

[B]

You know, Upper west side Same thing. Kind of like, you know, rich kids kind of school. It actually was a movie called Rich Kids that shot at our school.

[C]

Oh, my God. It doesn't get more on the nose.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Wow.

[B]

John Lithgow, Trini Alvarado, and we were extras. That's the first thing I was ever in, actually.

[A]

Wow, that's so cool.

[B]

But, yeah, there were kids who were. There weren't like any, you know, afterwards. Jordan Peele went to my high school. Oh, wow. Yeah. But during that time, there weren't really any. The closest thing was that Henry Winkler's.

[C]

Niece went to school, which is huge.

[B]

Yeah. And I got a picture through her that was a signed Fon's picture, saying to Ben, one man's ceiling is another man's floor. Henry the Fon's. Winkler sent to me.

[A]

So cool.

[C]

One man's ceiling and ceilings.

[B]

And then years later, I. I showed it to Henry Winkler, and he said, I never sign.

[C]

No, that's even more upsetting.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

He's like, I would never write a weird, cryptic line like that, but.

[B]

But then he did send me a real autograph picture.

[C]

Oh, wow. He's such a great guy. The nicest man in show.

[B]

Amazing arrested development.

[C]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Character. Oh, my God.

[C]

Greatest.

[B]

All right, let's go to. Let's go to the second question.

[D]

Hi, Ben and Adam. This is Michelle calling. My question for you is, if you were a severed Lumen employee and feeling rebellious, what would you do to stick it to your Audi? Thank you. And praise care.

[C]

I like how they all say praise care at the end.

[A]

Yeah, well, you have to. Otherwise lightning will strike you.

[C]

Right, right, right.

[A]

Do you think Gwendolyn y feels any resentment or anger or anything towards her Audi?

[C]

You know, it's funny. There's, like, one shot in the second episode. In the second episode of me just, like, entering. Yeah. And I had this, like, whole, like, idea of, like, what my Audi would. And I was like, I like the idea that my outie was trying. Like, she was a smoker and, like, an addict. Like, she drank a lot or something. And so when she would come in, Gwendolyn, why would be kind of like, hungover but, like, not knowing why, you know, just be kind of, like, out of it, which I never. Or actually play it. But I had this whole idea. I was like. It'd be funny if from the outside, they just get fucked up, you know, and then they come in and they smell. And the innies, like, what's wrong with me? Cause they're usually so innocent, the innies. You Know, so I thought that was like as like a payback. She would just do all these drugs and get like kind of messy and then would have to deal with the flip side of it.

[A]

That's so cool.

[B]

That's interesting. That's the flip side of the question. That's with Audi doing something to punish the.

[C]

Oh, that's Audi punishing. Yeah. So what would the innie do to the Audi? Right?

[A]

I mean, you can do what that heli almost did and like chop a finger off.

[C]

Right?

[B]

Right.

[A]

That would really stick it to him.

[C]

Or a bad haircut or something.

[A]

Bad haircut. That's a good one. Shave eyebrows off.

[C]

Shaved eyebrows. Hilarious.

[A]

I remember seeing you when you came to shoot the Audi part and I didn't have eyebrows. You didn't have your eyebrows. I was like, what is going on?

[C]

But you.

[A]

That was like six months later or something when you came to do that, right?

[C]

It was. It was a lot. It was longer after for sure. Was it six months? Maybe.

[A]

I have no idea.

[C]

You had been there the whole time, which I remember being like, how are you?

[A]

Yeah, are you still doing this?

[C]

And weirdly too, like, on a personal note, that's when I found out I was pregnant when I came back.

[A]

Really?

[C]

Yeah. Cause I was just there for a day and I remember sitting there being like, what am I gonna do?

[A]

And do you have a two year old now?

[C]

Yeah, he's two.

[A]

Incredible.

[C]

I know. Crazy.

[A]

Congratulations.

[B]

That's amazing.

[A]

That's incredible.

[C]

People have kids all the time.

[A]

Yeah, it happens all the time.

[C]

It's really not weird. But when you have one, you're like, wow. Yeah, now everything's different.

[A]

That's.

[B]

Well, thanks for coming and talking to us.

[C]

Yeah, thanks for having me. This was super fun. Really nice to see you guys again and congratulations on such a masterpiece, truly.

[B]

Well, thanks for being a part of it.

[C]

Thank you guys. Praise Cure.

[A]

And that's it for the episode. The severance podcast with Ben and Adam will be back next week with one final episode for you. The Severance podcast with Ben Stiller and Adam Scott is a presence of presentation of Odyssey Red Hour Productions and Great Scott.

[B]

If you like the show, be sure to rate and review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your other podcast platform of choice. It really makes a difference.

[A]

If you've got a question about severance, call our hotline, 212-830-3816. We just might play your voicemail and answer your question on the podcast.

[B]

Our executive producers are Bari Finkel, Gabriel Gabrielle Lewis, Naomi Scott and Leah Rhys Dennis. This show is produced by Ben Goldberg. It's mixed and mastered by Chris Basel. We have additional engineering from Javi Cruces.

[A]

Show clips are courtesy of fifth season music by Theodore Shapiro. Special thanks to the team at Odyssey. Maura Curran, Eric Donnelly, Michael Lavey, Melissa Wester, Kate Rose, Kurt Courtney and Hilary Schuff.

[B]

And the team. The team at Red, John Lesher, Carolina Pesikov, Gian Pablo Antonetti, Ashwin Ramesh, Maria Noto, John Baker and Sam Lyon.

[A]

And at Great Scott, Kevin Cotter, Josh Martin and Christy Smith. At Rise Management.

[B]

I'm Ben Stiller.

[A]

And I'm Adam Scott.

[B]

Thank you for listening. Limu Game and Doug Limu and I.

[A]

Always tell you to customize your car.

[B]

Insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. But now we want you to feel it. Cue the emu music. Limu.

[C]

Save yourself money today. Increase your wealth. Customize and save. We save.

[A]

That may have been too much feeling.

[B]

Only pay for what you [e-mail] savings. Very unwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and affiliates. Excludes Massachusetts.