Today I’m happy to share something special: my first fan-made song inspired by the series Severance.
The song “You and I” is dedicated to Helly and Mark S. – about love, finding meaning and connection in a world of silence, endless hallways, and closed doors.
The cover features a beautiful photo shared by Ben Stiller on X – thank you, Ben, for this amazing gift to the fan community ❤️.
👉 You can listen to the full song on YouTube here:
https://youtu.be/-d9ijJiUseE?si=J8kds4us71i21CIZ
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 16, 2025
Ben Stiller and Tramell Tillman surprise fans at the “Zoolander” Cinespia screening with a marching band performance of the “Severance” finale theme at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on August 16, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Photo: GettyImages
Tramell Tillman and the Department of Choreography & Merriment. So hot right now.
— Apple TV (@AppleTV) August 17, 2025
Watch #Severance Season 2 on Apple TV+ pic.twitter.com/Qocpc9RqdC
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| Ben Stiller and Tramell Tillman surprise fans at the “Zoolander” Cinespia screening with a marching band performance of the “Severance” finale theme at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on August 16, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Photo: GettyImages |
By Dorothea
Ben Stiller is one of the most recognizable comedic figures of the 21st century. But his contribution to film goes far beyond funny performances. As an actor, director, and producer, Stiller has shown that comedy can be smart, bold, and emotionally resonant.
In many of his films, Ben Stiller plays characters who are ordinary, slightly awkward, and full of anxiety, but also deeply relatable. From Greg Focker in Meet the Parents to the introspective title role in Greenberg, he helped audiences laugh not just at jokes but at the very real, uncomfortable situations of everyday life.
Ben Stiller created a specific type of comedy hero: someone who is not always funny by nature, but someone in whom each of us can find ourselves.
As a director, Stiller has proven he can deliver comedy with depth and style. His directorial debut:
He continued to expand this vision in:
🎬 Zoolander – a sharp and hilarious parody of the fashion industry
🎬 Tropic Thunder – a bold satire of Hollywood itself
🎬 The Secret Life of Walter Mitty – a visually stunning and heartfelt tale about dreaming big
🎬 Severance – a cerebral and unsettling series about corporate life and personal identity,
show that comedy in his performance can be intelligent and moving, not just funny.
Severance has received huge acclaim from critics and viewers. The first season received 97% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and the second season continued this trend. The series became one of the most popular titles in the history of Apple TV+, breaking viewership records and attracting new subscribers.
Fans of the show have been involved in creating their own interpretations of the plot, analyses, and fan videos that have gained popularity on social media, a testament to the profound impact Severance has had on viewers and internet culture.
Behind the scenes, Ben Stiller supports new voices. Through his company Red Hour Films, he has produced many films and TV shows, helping to launch or elevate the careers of talents like Jack Black, Owen Wilson, Kristen Wiig, and Adam Scott.
Ben Stiller made comedy more real, personal, and creative in the 21st century. He showed that laughter could be combined with reflection, that comedy could be an art form—just as important as drama or thriller.
Importantly, Ben Stiller didn’t follow trends so much as set them. Back in the ’90s, his The Ben Stiller Show revolutionized television humor, and later films like Zoolander and Tropic Thunder broke new ground in pop-culture satire. In an era when many comedies relied on simple gags, Ben Stiller created work that combined irony, intelligence, and emotion.
Ben Stiller hasn’t said his last word. He’s still developing new projects — films, series, and even returns to iconic roles. With each successive step he proves that comedy can be an art form, and he is one of its most important creators of our time.
A year ago, on February 18, 2022, Ben Stiller's series Severance premiered.
Happy 1st Anniversary of Severance!
I can't wait for the second season!
On February 19, 2023, Ben Stiller tweeted:
"Thanks to all our incredible Severance fans for the last year. It's been such a great experience for all of us. Excited as we work on season 2."
Ben Stiller tweeted about Severance 2:
"Working on getting you some severed surprises 😊🙏💙"
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| Ben Stiller. Fot. Homes For Our Troop/eBay |
Making of Severance: The fun, lively roundtable panel featuring director and
producer Ben Stiller, lead actor Adam Scott, showrunner Dan Erickson,
cinematographer Jessica Lee Gagne and casting director Rachel Tenner. Gold
Derby editor Denton Davidson hosts this special event for 2022 Emmy
contenders.
September 30, 2022, Jimmy Kimmel Live:
Ben talks about growing up in NY, lady bugs infesting his house, working
on a documentary about his parents Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, his
daughter’s friend finding Owen Wilson’s wallet, directing Severence on
AppleTV+, Jimmy’s fan theory, and since he’s an expert on New York - he
answers questions from people on the street before getting into a very
heated pizza argument with Jon Stewart.
On July 20, 2022, Logan Paul tweeted:
"Holy sh*t Severance on Apple TV is incredible. Finished season 1 last night & can't stop thinking about it. I NEED ANSWERS I refuse to wait until 2024 for Season 2. Ben Stiller please do something"
Ben Stiller wrote back:
"Working on it. Come see us at Comicon."
Ben Stiller on Twitter https://twitter.com/BenStiller/status/1549850421421801472
On July 12, 2022, Ben Stiller tweeted:
"So grateful for the Emmy Nominations for Severance. Thank you Television Academy members!! And we are all in debt to our brilliant cinematographer Jessica Lee Gagné, who's lens the entire series was conceived through, and who's work I acknowledge here."
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| Ben Stiller on Twitter, Jul 12, 2022, https://twitter.com/BenStiller/status/1546893536800415745 |
Before meeting Ben Stiller, cinematographer Jessica Lee Gagné was “really reticent” to enter the domain of television, given her negative perception of the work being done in that sphere.
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| Ben Stiller |
Up until six or so years ago, she considered TV to be “commercial” to
fault—gravitating instead to work that felt more “niche,” “indie” and
“fearless.” But then Stiller approached her for his acclaimed Showtime
limited series Escape at Dannemora, and her perspective shifted markedly.
“Working on things like Dannemora…I’ve realized that what you can do in television now is extraordinarily amazing,” Gagné shares. “When you have the right tools, the right amount of time and the right people around you, you can really create a tour-de-force kind of thing.”
Gagné’s latest project with Stiller is the equally brilliant series Severance for Apple TV+, which all but defies categorization, by way of genre. The story centers on Mark (Adam Scout), who leads a team of employees at the mysterious Lumon Industries. Employees at this company are required to undergo a procedure called severance, which 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.
Gagné’s biggest challenge in Season 1 came in developing the “destabilizing imagery” at the heart of the show, alongside director-EP Stiller—the most notable example being the “Zolly” effect indicating the mental transition of workers from their “outie” to their “innie” selfies, on their elevator ride down to Lumon HQ. Making this challenge easier to navigate was the fact that she’s worked with Stiller more consistently than anyone else in her career, meaning that the shorthand they share is the most developed she’s experienced.
During a recent conversation with Stiller as part of Deadline’s video series The Process, the DP breaks down the work that went into cracking effects like the elevator Zolly and other aspects to the show’s language. She also speaks to her experience coming of age within the walls of her father’s video stores, key components of her creative process including the creation of mood boards, the New York bookstore she visits while prepping new projects, her penchant for “gritty and dirty” aesthetics, why she considers Stiller to be “extremely impressive as a director”, why she feels that “the director is always right” in the end, no matter how “annoying” that can be to say, and more.
Stiller speaks for his part to connecting with Gagné after seeing her work on the indie Sweet Virginia and the “exciting creative relationship” he’s found with the cinematographer since. Other topics touched on by the multi-hyphenate include his and Gagné’s debate over the notion of bringing filmic aesthetics to Severance, Adam Scott’s “technical” brilliance as an actor, the visual inspirations behind Episode 7’s “Defiant Jazz” sequence, and breaking from the “grammar established” for Severance in the Season 1 finale.
Severance premiered on Apple TV+ in February and was renewed for a second season in April. Dan Erickson created and writes the show, which also stars Zach Cherry, Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, Jen Tullock, Dichen Lachman, Michael Chernus, John Turturro, Christopher Walken and Patricia Arquette. Endeavor Content serves as the studio, with Arquette and Scott producing. Exec producers include Erickson, Mark Friedman, Chris Black, John Cameron, Andrew Colville, and the trio of Stiller, Nicky Weinstock and Jackie Cohn for Red Hour Productions.
By Matt Grobar
June 1, 2022 12:34pm
Watch Stiller’s entire conversation with Gagné
Ben Stiller presented Adam Scott the Webby Best Actor Award for his incredible and versatile performance in the workplace drama AppleTV+ series Severance, at the 26th Annual Webby Awards on May 16, 2022 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City, NY.
Adam Scott's 5-Word Speech was: “Supreme Court, eat my shorts.”
After the ceremony, Adam Scott wrote on Twitter:
"Was so honored to get a Webby tonight for Severance! Huge thanks to Ben Stiller for presenting to me."
The 26th Annual Webby Awards honored the year’s biggest Internet visionaries and activists with a long-awaited in-person ceremony at Cipriani Wall Street following a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.
Watch the entire ceremony: https://watch.webbyawards.com/
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The Webby Awards are awards for excellence on the Internet presented annually by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a judging body composed of over two thousand industry experts and technology innovators.
Categories include websites, advertising and media, online film and video, mobile sites and apps, and social.
Two winners are selected in each category, one by members of The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, and one by the public who cast their votes during Webby People's Voice voting.
Each winner presents a five-word acceptance speech, a trademark of the annual awards show. Hailed as the "Internet’s highest honor," the award is one of the oldest Internet-oriented awards, and is associated with the phrase "The Oscars of the Internet."
Wikipedia
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| Ben Stiller presented Adam Scott the Webby Best Actor Award for his incredible
and versatile performance in the workplace drama AppleTV+ series Severance, at
the 26th Annual Webby Awards on May 16, 2022 at Cipriani Wall Street in New
York City, NY. Photos: GettyImages. |
JJ Redick, an American former professional basketball player, and Tommy Alter invited Ben Stiller to their show: "The Old Man and The Three".
JJ Redick wrote on YouTube in the description for an interview with Ben:
"Our guest on The Old Man and The Three this week is none other than legendary actor/director, Ben Stiller. Topics include: the long process of creating his new hit show Severance on Apple TV+, how he approaches projects as an actor vs. as a director, why classic comedies don't get great reviews, how it's utter BS that a movie like Heavyweights doesn't have a higher score on Rotten Tomatoes, working with Philip Seymour Hoffman during the basketball scene on Along Came Polly, his New York Knicks fandom and why he never became a Lakers or Nets fan, creating Zoolander, working with Robert De Niro and so much more."
Watch an excerpt from the interview on Severance and Escape At Dannemora.
Watch the full interview.
Listen to the podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-113-ben-stiller/id1525281746?i=1000558989517
On Friday, April 8th, 2022, Judd Apatow moderated a panel at the DGA Theater in Los Angeles, California, after a special screening of the Severance series season finale.
Watch the interview with the showrunners and members of the cast: Ben Stiller, Dan Erickson, Patricia Arquette, Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, Zach Cherry, Dichen Lachman, Jen Tullock, Michael Chernus, and Yul Vazquez.
In the show "Late Night with Seth Meyers" Ben Stiller talks about Severance,
the similarities between it and Escape at Dannemora and The Ben Stiller Show
winning an Emmy after it was canceled.
