“It Didn’t Feel Right”: ‘Severance’ Director Ben Stiller Reveals Why His Scrapped Role Never Worked Out

Severance wrapped up its highly anticipated second season earlier this year. Although fans were questioning what the future of the hit sci-fi series would be, Apple TV+ put these conversations to bed on the same day as the Season 2 finale by announcing that Severance had been renewed for Season 3. The show was written and created for television by Dan Erickson, but legendary comedy actor Ben Stiller acts as the primary director on the series. Stiller recently sat down for an interview with Variety to talk about the future of the show, and he revealed that he almost ventured onto the screen in Season 1 to play a doctor. Here’s why it didn’t work out:

“We talked about it. There was a storyline that we were thinking about, but it just didn’t feel right. It’s great that I’m not in it. I’m very happy to not have my face on the billboard.”

Looking back, it certainly would have been nice to see Stiller in a small role in Severance, but it all worked out exactly how it was supposed to. Passing on a role in the show because it didn’t serve the story is a testament to the creative team’s desire to produce the best product possible – even if it had been funny, if it didn’t make sense for the story, they made the right call leaving him out. Stiller certainly hasn’t suffered for keeping his Severance role behind the camera, though. He earned two Emmy nominations for his work on Season 1 – one for directing “The We We Are” and another for Outstanding Drama Series – and he’s heavily involved in the creative side of things. Severance has become one of the most popular TV shows of the last few years, and that wouldn’t be the case without Ben Stiller’s involvement.

Ben Stiller Is Teaming With Ariana Grande

It was announced at the end of this week that another Meet the Parents movie is officially moving forward, with Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Teri Polo, and Blythe Danner all reprising their original roles. In addition to announcing that the film will be released on November 25, 2026, Universal Pictures also dropped the major bomb that pop sensation and Wicked veteran Ariana Grande has joined the cast. Details about her role and the potential plot are being kept under wraps.

Severance has been renewed for Season 3, but it’s unclear at this time when it will be released. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of the show and watch the first two seasons of Severance on Apple TV+.