‘Severance’: Adam Scott and Patricia Arquette Said the Pandemic Created an ‘Artificial World’ That Improved the Apple TV+ Show
Apple TV+‘s workplace drama Severance was filmed during the pandemic. And according to stars Patricia Arquette and Adam Scott, that period of quarantine and isolation created an “artificial world” that made the show better.
Dan Erickson came up with the idea for ‘Severance’ at work
Severance tells the story of Mark Scout (Adam Scott), a Lumon Industries employee who, along with some of his co-workers, opts to sever the memories of his home life from his work life. The fascinating premise was created and written by Dan Erickson. And when talking to the Hollywood Reporter, he revealed that he came up with the idea while at work.
“Like a lot of people, I had a job that I wasn’t thrilled with,” Erickson said. “I was going in to work one day and found myself wishing, ‘God, if I could skip the next eight hours and just be going home right now.'”
“That was a scary thing to catch yourself wishing for — like, I want less time on this precious Earth,” he added. “[Director Ben Stiller] and I tried really hard to keep the show about that central question: What is this weird impulse in us that might cause us to want to disassociate parts of ourselves in our lives?”
‘Severance’ stars Patricia Arquette and Adam Scott suggest the pandemic created an ‘artificial world’ for the show
When Severance started filming during the pandemic, Erickson worried that the show may not feel relevant. But with the global shift in perspective in regards to work, he realized the story was more relatable than ever.
“I caused the Great Resignation,” Erickson joked during his interview with the Hollywood Reporter. “But work-life balance is more elusive than ever now, and it’s the best time for the show to come out. It’s fun becoming part of that conversation in some way.”
In the same interview, Arquette and Scott talked about what it was like filming during the pandemic. And Arquette suggested that the strict quarantining protocols added a surprisingly fitting tone.
“There was so much forced division, which helped [create] this artificial world that we were trapped in,” she said. “I don’t live in New York, so I was there just for the show,” Scott added.
“In the morning, I’d get in a van and drive to the Bronx to shoot. At the end of the day, I’d get back in the van and go to an apartment by myself, then eat, sleep, wait for the van in the morning, and do the same thing again.”
Adam Scott via The Hollywood Reporter
“It started to feel like a very separate world, this existence over the course of all these months,” he continued. “It was strange and transactional, but it helped feed the show.”
The ‘Severance’ cast received the whole season’s scripts beforehand
In their chat with the Hollywood Reporter, the Severance cast, including Britt Lower and John Turturro, talked about their characters’ development. And they revealed that unlike most shows, where actors are given one script at a time, they received the entire season before filming.
“We received all the scripts ahead of time, which is such a rare gift for TV,” Lower recalled. “Being able to see that whole arc ahead was super helpful for tracking what information the character knows about themselves and about the company at any given time.”
“Dan wrote a very generous backstory [and I spent a lot of time] thinking about that,” Turturro added. “It was important for me because what [happens in] Irving’s outside life bleeds in a little bit when he makes this connection with Burt.”
Severance has been renewed for Season 2. The first season is currently streaming on Apple TV+.
