Apple TV+

Ben Stiller actually tried to cast Barack Obama in 'Severance'

By Sophia Soto | Last updated Mar 6, 2025 2:25 AM ET

One of the biggest shows right now is Apple TV+'s Severance , which comes from director and executive producer Ben Stiller. The series stars Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, Zach Cherry, Jen Tullock, Michael Chernus, Dichen Lachman, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, Patricia Arquette, Sarah Bock, and Ólafur Darri Ólafsson.

In “Severance,” Mark Scout (Scott) leads a team at Lumon Industries, whose employees have undergone a severance procedure that surgically divides their memories between their work and personal lives. This daring experiment in “work-life balance” is called into question as Mark finds himself at the center of an unraveling mystery that will force him to confront the true nature of his work… and of himself. In season two, Mark and his friends learn the dire consequences of trifling with the severance barrier, leading them further down a path of woe.

In the second season, Keanu Reeves lends his narration skills to the animated Lumon building in the first episode. Stiller described the actor's voice as "the most warm, inviting" on Jimmy Kimmel Live. He also shared that Reeves "went into the studio and [did] multiple takes, and he took it very seriously."

However, that uncredited voice part was actually offered to one other person first. So who was it that said no? None other than former President Barack Obama.

Stiller wrote an email and had Obama's lawyer relay the request to him. Two days later, he actually got a response.

"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."

During his appearance on the late night show, he also revealed that he knows what the ending is, but "how we're getting there is a creative process and we have like benchmarks." Additionally, he knows how long it's going to go on for.

New episodes of Severance premiere every Friday through March 21.

Sophia Soto

Sophia Soto is a writer and interviewer with a passion for all things entertainment. She is a Senior Reporter at The Nerds of Color and contributes to Yardbarker, Screensphere, Den of Geek, What to Watch, Nerdtropolis, and Temple of Geek. You can see her past work on Remezcla, Young Hollywood, Looper, Paste Magazine, Primetimer, Soundsphere, and Starry Constellation Magazine

More must-reads: