Ben Stiller has revealed that he implemented a “no phones” policy on the set of Severance, which he directs and executive produces.
READ MORE: ‘Severance’ season two review: mind-bending workplace sci-fi is the smartest thing on TV
The actor and filmmaker explained that, while starring in Noah Baumbach’s 2010 rom-com Greenberg, the director’s style had a real effect on him.
Stiller explained on Mike Birbiglia’s Working It Out podcast that the director didn’t allow chairs on set, something he then took on board when directing The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty a few years later. And then, when he’s directing Apple TV+ thriller Severance, Stiller has a “no phones” policy.
He said of his time working with Baumbach, “I think it was like 10 days into shooting, and I’m like, ‘Where’s the chairs? Oh my God, there’s no chairs here.’ And that’s his choice because he doesn’t want to have people sitting around.”
He explained that, while people were still able to find places to sit down, the lack of chairs helped keep everyone moving and focused on the task at hand. And, about his “no phones” rule, he said: “Crew have to use phones sometimes to communicate, but, for me, I like no phones anywhere near the eyeshot of the actors. My least favourite thing is to see a dolly grip guy hunched down while an actor is acting their brains out, and he’s scrolling or whatever. It drives me crazy.”
Adam Scott in ‘Severance’. CREDIT: Apple TV+
Stiller went on to say that he likes to shield the actors he works with from seeing phones on set because performing in front of the camera is “such a vulnerable thing” and “you want to protect that environment for the actors” as a director.
He added: “But by the way, you also have to be respectful of the crew. … These people are actually working really hard, and you have to figure out how to motivate them to want to be on the team. They haven’t been with the script that you’ve been writing for five years. They just came on last week. So, it’s on you as a director to figure out a way to get everybody on board.”
Also on the podcast, Birbiglia shared that Stiller had considered him the role of self-help author Ricken Hale on Severance. Stiller agreed that “we did kind of go down the road” before the part ultimately went to Michael Chernus, and told Birbiglia that “you would have been a great Ricken.”
As for Severance, season two of the show premiered on January 17, almost three years after the first season began. The next episode will stream from Friday (January 31).
Fans of the show have been praising the second season so far, while NME gave it a five-star rating, saying: “Severance is a show best watched on high alert. For example, graffiti scrawled in the background reads “Who is alive?” By the time The Stone Roses’ ‘Love Spreads’ hits the soundtrack, with Ian Brown wailing “Let me put you in the picture / Let me show you what I mean”, you’ll be begging for the Severance team to do the same. Don’t stress it, though. Enjoy the ride and let this unique show tease and titillate your brain until you finally submit.”
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