“I am the first to be fascinated by “Severance”

Vou may not know his name, but his face definitely tells you something: at 51 years old, Adam Scott can boast of having accumulated notable roles in often cult series over the last fifteen years. He was the aspiring actor – but eternal waiter – of the sardonic Party Down, Leslie’s awkward but oh-so-charming fiancé in the delightful sitcom Parks and Recreationa demon emerging from hell (the real ones, it’s not a metaphor) in The Good Place… and finally the husband of Reese Witherspoon in Big Little Lies.

Without a doubt, its role in Severance – whose season 2, just as thrilling and brilliant as 1, has just started on Apple TV + – is the most complex of his career… Because the character that Adam Scott plays there is twofold: Mark Scout, devastated by death of his wife, chose to undergo an operation (the severance) which splits his consciousness in two. During the day, he is Mark S., employed in the labyrinthine offices of the very mysterious Lumon Industries and with no memory of his life outside of work. The moment he takes the elevator out of the building, he becomes Mark Scout again, without having the slightest idea of ​​what he’s been up to all day.

Written by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller, Severance offers both a commentary full of dark humor on the world of work and a breathtaking suspense. Following a rebellion by Mark “innie” (the one from the office) and his colleagues, Lumon Industries tightens its grip on its employees and the characters’ aspiration to break the separation of consciousness intensifies… From its living room Los Angeles (before the fires ravaged the city), Adam Scott answered our questions.

The Point: Severancewhich debuted in 2020, evokes a very contemporary feeling of isolation through a dystopian universe. What role did the Covid-19 pandemic play in its success?

Adam Scott : We quickly understood that with this central theme of alienation, of the strangeness of our existence, the fundamental solitude that it underlines, the series touched people to the heart. For me, the experience of the pandemic became an integral part of Mark’s character… This feeling of loneliness, and the impression of a deserted world, especially since I had lost my mother shortly before filming season 1. During the filming of season 2, I could always come back to these very specific emotions, it’s part of the repertoire that I can draw from. There is this color of mourning, both personal and collective, because of Covid. That said, in season 2, there is a change! The two Marks are different, especially the “innie”, because of what he discovered at the end of season 1. He becomes more active, he comes out of his isolation, it’s the beginning of a new way to interact with the outside world.

Do you approach the two Marks, the “innie” and the “outie”, as two distinct characters?

No, I keep in mind that it’s the same person. They are like two halves of one individual. Think about the difference we all see between who we are within family and who we are outside, such as at a party or with our colleagues. These are different parts of ourselves that we share with different people. It’s also the difference between someone who has experienced very difficult things – in Mark Scout’s case, the death of his wife – and someone who has not experienced trauma. What counted a lot in my apprehension of the character were my moments in the elevator, where the transition from “innie” to “outie” and vice versa takes place.

Explain to us…

With Ben Stiller [réalisateur de la majorité des épisodes, NDLR]we looked for the right way to show this passage. We’ve done it so many times that it’s become something that really defines the character, the moment where we touch the line between Mark Scout and Mark S. It’s almost a math problem: you have to add more the experience of life, of trauma, or on the contrary subtract these elements, empty oneself of them. This is very useful for me, because sometimes we shoot both sides of Mark in the same day.

There are kids in the offices of Lumon Industries, a company whose activities remain mysterious and which very much resembles a sect, with a whole mythology around its founder… Do you know more than us, the spectators?

Yes ! I am the first to be fascinated by Severance. Generally speaking, I like to know as much as I can when I’m working on a role, and talking with Dan Erickson, the creator, is fascinating. He thought out this entire universe in its smallest details. I ask him questions all the time. Besides, I’m doing a podcast on the series with Ben Stiller and the participation of Dan and many actors. We rewatched all the episodes together and commented on them, it was fascinating! We continue with season 2: each time an episode is available, the corresponding episode of the podcast is also accessible. When we started this series, we wondered if people would enter this strange and different universe. Today it is an immense joy to feel the curiosity, the appetite of the public for Severance ,and I’m ready to talk about it again and again. Without spoilers, of course!

In the past, you have mostly played comedic roles. Is it important for this much more serious character to Severance ?

The quality of the series is to have, in its strangeness, something absurd which is really funny. Ben Stiller also comes from the world of comedy, which is probably no coincidence. For my part, I try to remain almost neutral, not to add effects. One of my favorite films is See you in paradise (1991), where Albert Brooks finds himself in absurd situations but without ever emphasizing anything. I also like Charles Grodin in Midnight Run (Martin Brest, 1988), and Jack Lemmon in La Garçonnière (Billy Wilder, 1960). These actors are surgically precise in their approach to comedy, and what I prefer about them is deep down their seriousness. This is what anchors the characters in reality.

You have always been an actor and have never experienced office life…

To Discover

Kangaroo of the day

Answer

It has paradoxically become one of my specialties on screen! Parks and Recreation took place mainly in city offices [fictive, NDLR] from Pawnee…and now of course I’m at Lumon Industries. Ben Stiller is fascinated by corporate culture, the relationship of American men in particular with the office, their extreme confidence in themselves. Ben and Dan Erickson share a true passion for The Office. We find in Severance this taste for showing the most banal things of everyday life – the pots, the activities of team-buildingthe question of office supplies… Except that no one understands what is really going on at Lumon. And you’ll have to watch season 2 to get some clues!

Severanceseason 2, a new episode available every Friday on Apple TV +. Season 1 available in full on the platform.