“Maybe love transcends severance.” The line comes courtesy of the irreverent Dylan G (Zach Cherry), who tosses it off during a desperate attempt to divert a coworker’s attention from a secret in the TV show “Severance.”
(Note: the work is, as we all know, mysterious and important, so this interview will be free of any Season 2 spoilers.)
For the uninitiated, Dylan G is one of the “innies” on “Severance,” the acclaimed Apple TV Plus sci-fi drama about a group of people working for ominous corporation Lumon who have elected to undergo the severance procedure, splitting their work selves (innies) and outside-work selves (outies) into separate entities.
After a years-long wait between seasons, “Severance” returned this winter to legions of admirers both old and new, and reached deafening cacophonies of buzz, each fan eager to bandy about theories about what’s really going on.
Back to the little moment of trite improvisation from the Lumon office’s crankiest denizen — nestled within it, funnily enough, is the grand, sweeping theme of Season 2: that love really is what makes us human, that love will always persevere in the face of servitude, of oppression.
In honour of this season’s theme and the heart-destroying season finale streaming Friday, we spoke with stars Cherry and Tramell Tillman, a.k.a. stern sartorial standout Mr. Milchick, about why love matters, what they love about their characters’ evolutions this season and the wacky fan theories they love most of all.
This season is about love. Why is that meaningful for you in these troubling times?
Cherry: Human connection is so important. That’s something the show explored in the first season, in terms of these characters who are not really thought of as fully human by so many people in their life, and then they start to show that that’s clearly not true, that they are human. In this season, we have started to see the other ways in which you can make connections. And that’s always something that’s really fun to explore as an actor. And it’s so special when you get to do it with people who you do genuinely connect with.
What moment when you were on set did you feel the most filled with love?
Cherry: For me, it would come often and it would be usually near the end of a long day. And it would be like, after lunch and everyone would be tired, but we still have kind of this spark and this excitement to be there: there’s always this sense that we’re working on this really special thing that everyone really, really cares about. But if I was there alone, I would probably be ready to quit and be in a bad mood and throw a fit. But because I’m there with all these people who I’m excited to work with and love being in the same room as, it was those moments.
Tillman: It’s really those camaraderie moments, just like you were speaking to. I remember when we all gathered for the solar eclipse. And what was so beautiful is that we took time out of our filming schedule to go outside. And I was looking up at the solar eclipse but, all the while, the majority of the time I was watching everybody watch it. Because it was this big communal spirit, like everyone who loves the show and who cares about each other and really care about the work, we’re just gathering to take a pause together. And we all stopped what we were doing to just watch the solar eclipse and just breathe together.
Another theme of the season is autonomy and how agency leads to love. I’m thinking of the line innie Mark S has, where he says something along the lines of, “You gave us only half a life: did you expect us not to live it?” What do you love about these themes of resilience, of humanity persevering through oppression?
Cherry: In this business, it sometimes is easy to feel just like a cog or a piece. Like people aren’t really seeing you as your full self because you’re auditioning and being turned down. Or when you show up on set, especially when you’re greener, you’re just shuttled around and you’re not really always sure what’s going on. So a show about keeping your humanity in work, it does feel very relevant to my chosen work, but also I think a lot of people relate to that, not wanting to feel like they’re just a mark on a spreadsheet.
Tillman: The character Milchick, he represents the oppressor: he’s enforcing these rules. But in the process, I feel that he’s learning a lot about himself. I like to think that there’s an awakening that’s happening.
What did you love about Mr. Milchick’s evolution this season?
Tillman: There is something that is shifting in him with his perspective and his relationship to the innies. I don’t think he is at the point where he is ready to rally against Lumon. I think he’s just starting to see. And I think he is representative of those who have this blind faith in an entity, whether it’s a corporation or whether it’s a cult, or whether it may be a specific religion where people are head down and don’t ask questions, they just work and serve and serve and serve. It was really interesting for me to step in a role that is not like me. Because I am like, power to the people and f—k s—t up.
Zach, your character Dylan G ended last season with an act of heroism and this season he continues to try to grow. What do you love about Dylan’s arc this season?
Cherry: I love that you said “try to grow” because I do think it is a process. He’s a character who can oftentimes be very selfish and self-centred and self-focused. And I think over the course of the first season he starts to shed that a little bit. And then this season, he’s offered this really unique opportunity (that) he has to keep to himself and it keeps him a little isolated and he forgets about those connections he made, or it becomes complicated and there’s a part of him that’s unable to fully be there with his friends.
What have been some of your most beloved zany fan theories?
Cherry: My dad, after I think maybe episode three of Season 1, he called me and goes, “I already know what’s going on so you don’t need to tell me.” And I was like, “Oh, yeah?” And he was like, “It’s aliens.” I was like, “What do you mean, it’s aliens?” He was like, “It’s aliens.”
Tillman: That’s it?
Cherry: That’s it. So that’s my favourite one. He has not yet officially walked that back, but I have a feeling his theories have changed.
Tillman: Yeah, that’s funny. I don’t have a favourite. I’m just really — in Milchick speak —agog!
Speaking of another Milchick signature, Tramell, how does it feel that Milchick is a fashion icon? Why did you fall in love with his ’fits?
Tillman: Specifically the ORTBO (Outdoor Retreat and Team-Building Occurrence) outfit: that little number was so fun. And I’m really grateful that Ben (Stiller, executive producer and director) was willing to be collaborative with us. I think Ben had a different idea for how Milchick should be dressed for the ORTBO. But I said he should embody the world, this path that (Lumon founder) Kier goes on, and so he should dress similar to that. So basically it was very similar to what (the innies) all wore but just in all white. Just give him that little flash, that little pop out in Woe’s Hollow. Yeah, it was really cool.
“Severance” is streaming on Apple TV Plus, with the Season 2 finale dropping Friday March 21.
