Only two seasons in, “Severance” has established its place as one of the finest prestige shows around. Judging by the bloody and brilliant Season 2 finale, the show has no intention to get any less compelling in the foreseeable future, either.
The true secret weapon of “Severance,” however, is its stellar cast. From Seth Milchick’s (Tramell Tillman) dangerous dance moves to the mysteries around Gemma Scout (Dichen Lachman), every major character on the show is played by an actor who’s more than up to the task of elevating the show and making fans invested in its many delightfully complex storylines. The “Severance” cast is a fun mix of veterans (such as Adam Scott, Patricia Arquette, John Turturro, and Christopher Walken) and incredible rising talents enjoying their breakthrough roles. Interestingly, the show’s cast could have almost featured another major name: Ben Stiller, who serves as an executive producer and the show’s main director.
Stiller was never going to insert himself in the show front and center — both he and “Severance” creator Dan Erickson decided early on that the main role of Mark Scout was a perfect fit for Scott. However, the makers of the show did initially consider creating a doctor character for Stiller. “We talked about it,” Stiller said in an interview with Variety. “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.”
Stiller doesn’t appear on Severance, but he does voice a cartoon Kier Eagan
Before viewers start going through “Severance” episodes with a fine comb to see which role Stiller might have played, it’s worth noting that the character was later scrapped and had nothing to do with any that actually made it on the show, such as the infinitely creepy Dr. Mauer (Robby Benson). That being said, it’s still possible to spot a Ben Stiller character on “Severance.” He just opted for a voice role, possibly to keep with his stated ethos of keeping his face away from the show’s marketing billboards.
In Episode 8 of Season 1 (titled “What’s for Dinner?”), an uncredited Stiller voices a digital Kier Eagan cartoon that congratulates Helly R. (Britt Lower) for wrapping up a file in the signature pseudo-biblical cult leader tone that seems par for the course for every Lumon higher-up. However, this was just a one-off: Apart from this single computer animation scene, Kier is portrayed by “A Different Man” and “Daredevil: Born Again” star Marc Geller. Stiller, it seems, prefers to remain behind the camera.