The Season 2 premiere of Severance featured, among many things, a fun uncredited cameo. Keanu Reeves lent his voice to the Apple TV+ series, serving as the narrator of a Claymation-style company video narrating all the changes happening at Lumon Industries. But Ben Stiller revealed in a recent interview that the role was originally intended for not "the One," but a former Leader of the Free World.
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“There was one person that I asked before [Keanu] and he said no: President Barack Obama," the actor and director revealed in an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live Monday night.
Despite being most well-known for his roles in films like Zoolander and Meet the Parents, Stiller is a core part of the DNA that makes up Severance. He not only is an executive producer on the series, but also directs the majority of its episodes. That includes the Season 2 opener, which brought the mystery box office series back after three interminable years away. And, perhaps as a gift for making fans wait so long, Stiller shot big with his intentions for a premiere guest star.
Related: 6 Questions We Need Answered in 'Severance' Season 2
As Stiller relays, he had a friend who is acquainted with the lawyer for the Obamas. So, working through his connections, he wrote an email to the former POTUS, describing what the guest spot would entail. "Two days later, I get an email back from President Barack Obama," he recalled.
According to Stiller, Obama had written, "Hey Ben, big fan of the show. Love Season 1, can’t wait for Season 2. Don’t think I have time in my schedule to make this happen."
Stiller and the Severance team decided to then move on to Reeves for the cameo. And the John Wick star was able to provide what Stiller described as a "warm, inviting voice" to the "Lumon is Listening" video, which supposedly provided our main characters with the context of what happened in between the Season 1 finale and Season 2 premiere. In actuality, only a weekend had passed in real time. While he wasn't his first choice, Stiller commended Reeves in the Kimmel interview, saying he had recorded multiple takes in Los Angeles.
We'll have to see at the end of 2025 if Barack Obama's best of the year list features any shout out to Severance, considering he nearly played a role on it!
Related: 'Severance' Star Jen Tullock Talks the Latest Cliffhanger and How It Mirrors Her Own Health Scare (Exclusive)
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