Severanceseason two is fast approaching its long-awaited arrival onApple TV+in only a few short weeks, but in the meantime, the science fiction psychological thriller’s director, Ben Stiller, opens up about how he championed Adam Scott’s role in the series while comparingThe Secret Life of Walter Mittyactor toBreaking Bad’s Byran Cranston.
Previously, Stiller, who has starred in and directed a host of movies, includingZoolanderandTropic Thunder, said thatSeveranceseason two almost went in an entirely different directionto the one fans know and love, where he thought about making the series into something likeThe Office. Thankfully, that didn’t materialize asSeverancewent on to win numerous awards for its incredible, and strange, telling of office workers whose memories have been surgically divided between their work and personal lives.
Severance’s Ben Stiller Talks About Parallels Between Adam Scott and Bryan Cranston
According toIndieWire, Ben Stiller, director ofSeverance, said that he insisted Adam Scott be given the role of the former history professor Mark Scout in the series, even though Apple had its doubts that Scott could take the lead. Stiller has known Scott for over ten years since they worked together on the comedy film,The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, which sees Walter (Stiller) on a journey to escape his boring everyday life into something more meaningful.
Stiller also said that he saw parallels betweenBreaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston, who played Walter White in the popular 2008 TV show, and Adam Scott in terms of where they both started their career and how they both achieved success. “There are actors like Bryan Cranston who get to go to another place when people see them in a certain role. That’s what I felt with this.” Stiller said in reference to Cranston’s humble beginnings inMalcolm in the Middleand then jumping toBreaking Bad, for which he received numerous accolades for his role, and that’s how the director felt about Scott coming intoSeverance.
However, Scott doesn’t feel as confident about his abilities as Stiller does, in which he believes that he isn’t really that good of an actor. In a separate interview, Scott said that he lives “daily with the fear of anyone thinking I think I’m great” and how “impostor syndrome has become this buzzword now and most people are using it to humblebrag,” Things seem to get even tougher for Scott in the show as well asSeveranceseason two’s most recent first image of Marklooks as though he’s in the bad books with Seth Milchick.
Here’s hopingSeveranceseason two can at least begin to unravel some of its mysteries, which include thedisappearance of Ms Caseyand what will happen now that Mark’s outie knows the truth about his wife. Whether good or bad, fans won’t have long to find out as the second season ofSeverancewill be released via Apple TV+ on Jun 13, 2025.
