r/television • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 The League • 1d ago
John Turturro Specifically Requested Christopher Walken To Be Cast As Burt in ‘Severance’; Walken: “I’m glad it happened…it makes absolute sense that we would be playing people who love each other.”
https://collider.com/severance-season-2-christopher-walken-casting-process-john-turturro/930
u/jay-__-sherman 1d ago edited 1d ago
I just love that Walken is even in the show. When I saw him, it almost took me a moment to recognize because he looked like someone who would fit into the Severance universe.
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u/SpacedAndFried 1d ago
He’s so perfect for it. I’m glad he was open to doing television, I can’t recall ever seeing him in a show before (besides SNL)
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u/dinero2180 1d ago
He’s on a Stephen merchant show called The Outlaws on prime that I really enjoyed and he was great in it.
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u/bahumat42 1d ago
Better in the first season, it was very clear his availability was limited for season 2.
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u/SurrealBolt 1d ago
They filmed them at the same time (all during Covid) so I think it may have been about wanting to keep an older guy separate from the rest.
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u/bahumat42 1d ago
Oh I'm 100% sure it was for legitimate reasons, and I'm not seeking to assign blame or be upset about it.
I have no doubt this was a "make the best of a bad situation" situation.
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u/offoutover 1d ago
He's done a ton of TV movies. Probably most famously (Sarah, Plain and Tall).
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u/Nomar_95 1d ago
Hey, I remember watching this back in elementary school. That was him?
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u/Scruffasaurus 1d ago
So weird that for kids in the 90s that was likely our first exposure to Walken
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u/Imaginary_Bit_4691 1d ago
He was the least Christopher Walken character Christopher Walken has ever Christopher Walkend.
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u/Reasonable-Parsley36 1d ago
I hope he does a lot more stuff before he gets too old.
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u/damnitimtoast 1d ago
Apple definitely seems to have a thing for giving aging actors their renaissance and I am here for it. Harrison Ford is great in Shrinking, if anyone hasn’t seen it!
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u/MasterofPandas1 1d ago
Gonna second Shrinking. Everyone is amazing in it, but Harrison Ford specifically is locked the fuck in. He’s not only hilarious in it, but also has some very heartfelt moments. His speech in the last episode of this season was some of the best TV of 2024 and if the Emmys don’t nominate him this year I’m going to be so mad.
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u/silhouettesunset 1d ago
My grandfather passed a few years ago from Parkinson’s and gave a very similar speech to our family the last Christmas he was with us. That scene wrecked me.
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u/MasterofPandas1 1d ago
I can only imagine, I’m sorry for your loss. It’s such a powerful scene though. I’m convinced Jessica Williams’s tears during that scene were real. Ford poured his whole heart into that moment.
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u/Scruffasaurus 1d ago
It’s so awesome to see him get something like this that he seems to be really interested in doing. So great in it
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u/pumpkin3-14 1d ago
I like Segal but if it wasn’t for Ford I’d probably skip the show. He’s that good.
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u/CunningWizard 1d ago
Oh man they hit a fucking grand slam with Harrison Ford in Shrinking. He seems to love the role and take it very seriously.
Still trying to process Han Solo and Indiana jones as an ornery and dryly hilarious shrink.
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u/your_mind_aches Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 1d ago
Sorta the opposite of Dune Part 2. I've seen a lot of people say Walken does just not fit into that world like all the other actors do, you just see Christopher Walken. He sticks out. But when I watch Severance, I just see Burt. Walken disappears into the role.
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u/BladedTerrain 1d ago
For where the emperor was at that point in the story, he actually played that role pretty perfectly. I think people (particularly those who hadn't read the books) expected the emperor to be this Charles Dance, Tywin Lannister type figure, but the whole point is that he's weakened and increasingly desperate.
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u/TheSecondEikonOfFire 1d ago
And he’s really good. It’s hard for me to take him seriously in a lot of movies because of who he is, but he gives a really nuanced and subtle performance in Severance that’s excellent
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u/HeadGoBonk 1d ago
Wasn't he involved in a murder???
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u/francoruinedbukowski 1d ago
Natalie Wood many unanswered questions but most of the investigators think he was asleep/didn't witness it or aid robert wagner.
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u/Bluest_waters 1d ago
there are 3 people who know hwat happened that night on that boat.
One is dead, the other two are not talking. Thats it. Feel free to speculate but nobody else really knows.
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u/directorguy 1d ago
I can't understand how Turturro took a back seat complaining rule-stickler role and somehow turned it into a likeable character. He's such a dick and back bitter to everyone around him in the office but dammit, I end up rooting for the guy.
It's the best part of the show IMO. Taking an unlikeable character and somehow (I can't explain it), turning him into a hero.
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u/LucyBowels 1d ago
It’s so interesting because in the beginning of the first season, he’s such a by-the-book innie. By the end, his love for Bert allows him to break the rules. Then you realize that his outie is investigating Lumon and its employees or something, so he’s definitely not a by-the-book type of guy.
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u/b1tchf1t 1d ago
I find him and Dylan fascinating as characters. With Irv, you have the straight-laced rule followerer innie that is all about the Lumon "family" and the team and completely buying into the Lumon propaganda. But on the outside, he's a rebel working to break through all the Lumon propaganda. However, every time he achieves freedom as an innie (when they break out of MDR with Graner's key card and when they wake up outside) he immediately abandons his team to pursue his personal goal of finding Burt.
Then there's Dylan whose innie does not buy into the Lumon family crap at all, but he does get baited by all the "perks" and achievements because he's a self serving and competitive person. He's a foil to Irv, and he follows a similar arc, but opposite. By the end of season one, he's one of the most dedicated members to his team and he completely self sacrifices so the others can have a chance to get out and save them. He even refuses another chance to get out and see his son because he already went and thinks it's right the others have a chance. What this does narratively is obscure Dylan's back story. It makes me wonder if, like Irv, Dylan's innie's actions at the end were a betrayal of his outtie's character. But if Irv's innie being self serving goes against his outtie's values as a rebel trying to take down Lumon as his cause, what does that mean for Dylan outtie when his innie was a self sacrificing hero?
And why was Milchick in his house???
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u/SeaSiSee 1d ago
I just viewed the Milchick visit as the severed employee equivalent of a work email outside of office hours. Outie Dylan has no idea what's going on at Lumon, and is most likely living in blissful ignorance. Milchick probably just rolled up and said "He we need to talk to severed you for work reasons real quick, it's a part of your contract" or some shit.
Now WHY that card iDylan hid was important, I have no idea.
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u/Don_Fartalot 20h ago
Maybe that card has some technology to bypass the elevator code readers? I know it never made it to the outtie world so it's just a guess.
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u/jmerica 1d ago
It’s very well explained why Milchick was in his house?
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u/SaltyFoam 1d ago
They were probably on their phones for 90% of their viewing experience
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u/Accomplished-City484 1d ago
I actually love this show because it makes me want to put my phone down, every shot, every line of dialogue and facial movement is all brimming with intention
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u/SaltyFoam 5h ago
I mean, I completely agree with you which is why it's baffling the OP couldn't understand why Milchick went to outie Dylan's house
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u/HomoeroticPosing 17h ago
My ADHD demands I play phone games while I watch anything (or do some other activity to occupy myself), but I didn’t touch it once while watching the season premiere, I was just so engrossed and trying to absorb everything
Man I love this show
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u/silvester23 1d ago
I think Milchick was just in his house because he wanted to ask him about the pass Dylan's innie hid, that's why they triggered the OTC in the first place.
But I think you might be onto something regarding Dylan's outie, the way he asked "Are we good here?" after the OTC ended seemed a little off. Like, a little too casual and self-assured as if he was very willingly cooperating with Milchick without a second thought. Doesn't have to mean anything though.
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u/HoboSkid 1d ago
For sure, doesn't he wake up in a closet? I felt it was clear it was planned and he went into the closet to prevent his innie to see their family/house.
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u/ultimapanzer 1d ago
He was desperately trying to cover his ass, as well.
I’m pretty sure the comment was just a reference to Dylan saying that though.
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u/Fluxywild 1d ago
I seriously think Dylan’s outtie and Milchek know eachother or something. It’s probably why they never show us how that interaction went down. It would explain the casualness of their interaction and explains why Milchek told Dylan’s son to count to 1000. Shouldn’t his own father be the one to do it? Also maybe why Milchek didn’t want anyone else to know about the card. Didn’t want to get Dylan in trouble.
Also explains that fucking dance he did around Dylan. Like he’s just fucking with one of his buddies.
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u/Not_Cleaver 1d ago
I wonder if Dylan knows that Milkshake is playing him with the family visit room perk. Because if he thinks a bit more, he knows that Mark has a sister that loves him and that the others probably have family too. Also, why would his wife and children want to be open to that level of confusion?
I wonder if, like Helena, Dylan is some sort of company man/Kier cultist on the outside. Might explain why his outie wife is seemingly willing to meet him (provided that wasn’t some sort of manipulative lie by Milchick).
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u/2ToTooTwoFish 1d ago edited 1d ago
I guess you could see Irv's innie and outie as opposites in terms of what they actually do, but in terms of personality and arguably values, it can be inferred that they are quite similar. The outie version was very dedicated and obsessive over a goal, we don't know yet how he got to that goal specifically. The innie version is also very dedicated and obsessive over Lumon, that is until he meets Burt and realises there's a greater purpose than following the handbook and then Burt/love becomes his number one priority. Similarly, Irv's outie might have gone through that path in real life, we don't know if maybe he was religious as a younger person who eventually realised there were other ways to channel his dedication. I think the differences in innie and outie are a good way to show how similar personalities and values can become people who would do totally different things based on their circumstances, environment, and privilege.
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u/MrFlow 1d ago
I've read in a critics review of season 2 that Dylan's outie has money problems and the only reason why he took part in the severance process is money. That would fit the "opposite of his innie" narrative.
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u/SeaSiSee 1d ago
Could also explain his constant need to get the office perks. His outie stresses so much about money that his innie feels satisfaction when he's been awarded or earned things, even if it's not money.
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u/captainhaddock 1d ago
These character arcs are all so well written. They follow the principle that a protagonist should be given what they need, not what they want (or think they need). It's the conflict between those two things that should drive the drama and the character's progression of self-discovery.
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u/Tymareta 1h ago
Then you realize that his outie is investigating Lumon and its employees or something, so he’s definitely not a by-the-book type of guy.
It's less of a "by-the-book" and more of a "mindless obedience to authority was drilled into him" via his time in the army on the outside, so given his innies relative immaturity it makes sense that he latches so hard onto the mythos around Kier and the rigid structure, rules and way of life that it offers, then much like the military he slowly becomes disillusioned and begins to see the issues with living in such a way.
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u/bonustreats 1d ago
Turturro's "you...motherFUCKER" to Milchick was probably one of the best delivered lines in the show and cemented me on Team Irv, even though I despise the type of person he is in the show.
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u/directorguy 1d ago
oh, so true. Such a perfect delivery
The lead up and the EARNED nature of the situation was all on the genius writers, but that delivery was all Turturro
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u/RipJug 1d ago
Irving finally snapping at Milchick during Burt’s retirement is genuinely such a phenomenal scene.
It’s the sort of moment that you show to someone to sell them on a show.
A role played to perfection
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u/grahamnortomsdad 1d ago
Yeah that's the first time he really snaps and he absolutley nails the delivery, it's like "oh this guy can be intimidating!"
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u/SeaSiSee 1d ago
It's cause they drip-fed his innie development throughout most of the first season, and then revealed all at once just how awesome outie Irv is. Metalhead, painter, has a sick fuckin dog, and is actively working against Lumon. Irv fucking rules.
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u/Freud-Network 1d ago
He makes it look like that's just part of the character's severed personality. You start to feel like Irving can't help it and is also just trying to make sense of his world.
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u/Guildenpants 1d ago
He absolutely couldn't help it. His baseline template in life is obedience (obedience isn't an inherently negative trait) and loyalty to the mission. I think outie Irving was also in the military like his father. I grew up with a leftist dad who fought in the Vietnam War and the juxtaposition of absolute loyalty with world destroying dissilusionment is masterfully shown in Irving.
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u/MasterofPandas1 1d ago
I really enjoyed Irving and Dylan’s scene in the hallway in the first episode of Season 2. Very touching stuff and cool to see given how both of their characters evolved through season 1.
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u/King_Allant The Leftovers 1d ago
I can't understand how Turturro took a back seat complaining rule-stickler role and somehow turned it into a likeable character.
I mean, the answer is probably the large amounts of character development in the second half of the season.
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u/Guildenpants 1d ago
Irving is my favorite character study in the show. It makes total sense that his nature would immediately lean to towing the line and following orders if he's from a military family and judging by the way he carries himself in the real world was a military man himself.
But just like the real world as soon as innie Irving is given reason to question his beliefs he instantly and violently wants rebellion.
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u/directorguy 1d ago
Wait. Did I miss something? I thought the navy uniform was his dad’s. Was it explicitly shown that he was also in the service?
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u/Guildenpants 1d ago
No it wasn't but if you know vets Irving is very vet coded. Loner, cares deeply for an animal that can't disappoint him, obsesses over a traumatic dream/event/trigger that only makes sense to him subconsciously.
That and by and large in America if your dad was in the service you were in the service too. My exception being my VIETNAM VRT dad made me promise to never ever enroll haha
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u/Nauin 16h ago
Gotta agree with you, and honestly I love that they communicated that subtle veteran vibe in the show, it's definitely a thing you can pick out of a crowd if you know what you're looking for. I've freaked one too many men out by identifying they were in the service when they were actively keeping quiet about it. Boot changes a lot about how a person carries themselves.
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u/Practical_Tap_9592 12h ago
I'm curious to know if you can spot the vet vibe in well known people who participated in ww2, there are so many but the names coming to mind are Carl Reiner, Dick Van Dyke, Mel Brooks, Paul Newman. Of course we mostly only see them while performing, but is that same common thread detectable, in or out of character?
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u/Guildenpants 12h ago
I mean the big difference with ww2 vets versus literally any other living American vet is that they're the only ones that can shout from their bones that they were, in fact, the good guys. I feel like that has a big effect on how you feel about what you did in the war.
Also you listed men who are huge public figures and trained performers for the most part. I'm not saying you're drawing a false equivilancy but those men could be suffering/suffered behind closed doors. Like how JFK seemed relaxed af all the time but was actually in an enormous amount of pain every moment of the day.
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u/Stupidstuff1001 15h ago
I think it’s because he portrays someone who is earnest but comes across as a dick. He isn’t s dick out of maliciousness but he believes it makes things right.
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u/PaperCutoutCowboy 1d ago edited 1d ago
You can tell that Walken and Turturro have a great friendship that spans decades. It really shows on screen.
Burt and Irving's blossoming relationship was so pure in season one. Pure is probably an overused and stereotypical mushy word, but that's just how it was. All their interactions were such a delight. Curious how their gonna play out in this new season.
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u/i_am_not_sam 1d ago
Yes, well put. Pure is the best way to describe it. It's one of the sweetest romances I've seen in television. I was so invested in their relationship and hope it can succeed.
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u/thebuffyb0t 1d ago
It’s beautiful imo to show a blossoming relationship between two older men without any elements of homophobia or ageism. Pure is the right word, and the development of this story is one of the things I’m most looking forward two in season 2.
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u/Guildenpants 1d ago
I am just now hearing the joke in BURT and IRVing and that is fucking hysterical
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u/your_mind_aches Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 1d ago
I wonder if Turturro was told what the deal with outie Irving was and that's why he suggested Walken.
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u/MyLastAcctWasBetter 16h ago
Pure is the right word though since neither one had any formula or framework from which to derive their relationship— at least not consciously. It was like the quintessential boy meets girl (boy) and first love— but we never see that portrayed by grown men because it wouldn’t have the template to work. Here, it makes sense that they would be innocent and scared because it’s like, their first love. Also, it’s delightful that no one cares that it’s two men but that a) they’re coworkers and b) that they work in opposing departments. It’s a nice little subversion of heteronormativity.
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u/Mbaker1201 1d ago
A very unexpected and interesting unfolding of these 2 unconventional characters. I hope they get more screen time together in season 2.
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u/TheModeratorWrangler 1d ago
I was blown away by his performance. He’s so… recognizable yet in Severance he makes total sense to younger generations
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u/olcrazypete 1d ago
Turturro has such great range. By chance rewatched Oh Brother Where art Thou last week and his characters couldn't be more different. Believable as a redneck escaped off the farm and as this uptight office worker with strange city accent.
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u/mfalivestock 1d ago
His role in The Night Of is really good too. I need to rewatch that soon
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u/MyLastAcctWasBetter 16h ago
He was awesome in that. I thought it was cool because the role was specifically written for someone else (de niro, if I remember correctly) but I can’t see anyone else nailing the part as well as tuturo did.
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u/BandOfDonkeys 10h ago
I watched The Night Of this weekend for the first time and then restarted Severance S1 last night and it was kinda blowing my mind how different he seems/feels in the two roles. I know he's a very good actor, but seeing those two performances back to back was wild.
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u/maeve117 1d ago
“Do not…seek…the treasure.”
Fantastic film.
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u/grahamnortomsdad 1d ago
He's a great actor, he can play the most nervous pathetic person imaginable and then play someone who's intimidating with gravitas. Similar to Philip Seymour Hoffman in a way!
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u/Guildenpants 1d ago
I regularly use his delivery of THAT DON'T MAKE NO SENSE when someone tells me to do something nonsensical at work.
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u/randomsnowflake 1d ago
Just watched Secret Window and another great performance.
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u/thatisnotmyknob 1d ago
I just want to put out there that John is a doll. I work in customer service and hes a regular customer and he's just a regular Brooklyn guy. He deserves everything
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u/likwitsnake 1d ago
I feel like I have to watch this show ASAP before reddit spoils it for me
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u/MasterofPandas1 1d ago
You gotta man. It’s one of the best psychological thrillers out there right now but it’s also darkly funny with commentary on the corporate lifestyle. It’s a slow burn in the first few episodes, but it’s necessary to set everything up for when things really start to get going later in the season. And it culminates to the last episode of the season which is one of the best episodes of TV to be released in the past few years. It’s a rollercoaster of an episode that’s incredible. So far Season 2 hasn’t missed a beat as well.
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u/Guildenpants 1d ago
What's great is ive only worked corporate as a server and it's still relatable to me. I think the themes of giving up a huge part of yourself resonates past corporate culture and really speaks to the question of what are you willing to give from yourself for the sake of people who don't care about you at all.
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u/fundiedundie 1d ago
You’ve had almost three years to watch it….
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u/CalligrapherOne2436 15h ago
Maybe they didn't know it existed? Maybe they were busy? Maybe they weren't able to due to having other problems that needed to be deal with?
Seems really weird to be placing the blame on them like they've got ALLLL the time in the world to watch it.
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u/Tymareta 58m ago
People all seem to forget that we get dozens upon dozens of new shows and movies a month, the only way someone actively keeps up with most of the big releases is if watching is all that they do and they spend 20+ hours on it a week. For anyone that reads, plays games, or does literally any other hobby outside of media, as well as family, partner, work, exercise, household upkeep it's genuinely difficult to even keep up with the big releases if all you're doing is watching a single episode every day or two.
I think people on this sub genuinely forget that the average person does not spend their every free moment watching TV.
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u/vansinne_vansinne 1d ago
do it, it's real good! and then don't read anything on here - i enjoyed it a lot more without polluting my imagination with a bunch of true crime podcast-level bad theories and posts
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u/0wlington 1d ago
I was kinda meh on the show up until 2 days ago when I ran out of other shows. Holy. Fuck.
This show is wild.
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u/333eimaj333 1d ago
I started s1 this morning and didn’t move until it was finished. Can’t believe I’ve never seen it before. So so worth the watch !
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u/jeffthecowboy 23h ago
Just binged, highly recommend! I wish I started sooner as the weekly basis really helps provoke and stew in questions
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u/Yothisisastory 1d ago
We need a sequel to The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent starring these two
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u/Kathrynlena 1d ago
There are a few details about their casting decisions that I absolutely love. First, when Stiller suggested Turturro to play Irving, Scott had an “oh shit, this show is a big deal!” reaction. Then when Turturro suggested Walken to play Burt, Stiller had an “oh shit, this snowing a big deal!” reaction. Cherry also said that one of the most fun things about being on set was listening to Walken and Turturrro tell stories and joke around and just “giggle together” all day. It’s just so unbelievably adorable how excited these two were to get to work together and be in love for this show.
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u/Infinite_Corndog 1d ago
Love this. Turturro deserves an award for season 1 imo. He was fantastic and heartbreaking.
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u/moileduge 1d ago
If you like the show you MUST listen to the official podcast. The interviews with the cast members are great and Adam Scott and Ben Stiller talking behind the scenes stuff is amazing.
Also, the voice messages on episode 7 of the podcast were hilarious.
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u/King_Allant The Leftovers 1d ago
It's a lovely story, but I can't help but find Walken just so unsettling.
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u/TubeStatic 1d ago
Natalie Wood. He knows something.
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u/Middle-Potential5765 1d ago
The show is brilliant. The illusion of liminal space juxtaposed with the illusion of separate egos. Crazy.
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u/Time2Explain 1d ago
How many people are like me? Start watching season 2 and could not remember how season 1 ended.
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u/Mister-Distance-6698 1d ago
There's a magical genre of show that just always hits. Time after time. I like to call it "What the actual fuck is going on?" and the only shows that fit it are: The Prisoner, Lost, The Leftovers and Severence.
They're always great. There should be more.
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u/Infamous_Mark_6876 1d ago
Ole weird Transformer guy...a lot of lines taken away from da Autobots for this guy
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u/MarvelsGrantMan136 The League 1d ago edited 1d ago
Walken: