This interview contains spoilers from Season 2, Episode 5 of “Severance.”
It’s hard to imagine Seth Milchick being late for anything.
The manager of the “severed” floor in Apple TV+’s darkly satirical workplace thriller “Severance,” Mr. Milchick, as he is mostly known, is the consummate company man. He is a silky-voiced, coldhearted enforcer and is punctilious to the point of menace.
Much less is known about the actor who plays him, Tramell Tillman. Before “Severance,” his résumé consisted mostly of minor TV roles and theater. So when he agreed to meet on a recent weekday afternoon at Manhattanville Coffee, near his apartment in Upper Manhattan, I couldn’t help but half expect him to be waiting for me there, hands folded on the table, wearing a mouth-only smile that barely cloaked his disappointment that I hadn’t shown up earlier.
Instead something much more charming, less android-like, had happened: Tillman had gone to the wrong Washington Heights location of Manhattanville.
He texted: “I’ll come to you.” Ten minutes later, he blew in the door, apologetic as he unwrapped himself from a thick scarf, ski cap and tan utility jacket. “My bad,” he said. “It’s been a crazy week.”
One got the impression it had been a crazy few years for Tillman since the debut of his breakout role in “Severance,” a disturbingly allegorical sci-fi series that follows a group of workers who have had their consciousness “severed” into discrete work and home selves. The show was an instant cultural phenomenon, and a critical darling, when it premiered in 2022 — a particularly claustrophobic time for many, when distinctions between home and office life were rapidly collapsing.
The show returned for Season 2 last month to a bigger role for Milchick — the new head of Lumon Industries’ “severed floor” — and more rave reviews: The New York Times’s chief TV critic, James Poniewozik, called it “the most ambitious, batty and all-out pleasurable show on TV,” praising Tillman in particular for his charisma as the show’s “cheerfully menacing manager.”
But with new responsibilities come new difficulties, and Milchick is showing signs of losing his grip. In Episode 5, which premiered this week, Milchick is given his first performance review as the new department chief, which doesn’t go as hoped. Not only is he criticized for his paper clip usage, he must also navigate racial microaggressions. As he grapples with his own frustrations, a more human side begins to peek through.
“You see Milchick finding his voice this season,” Tillman said.
In person, Tillman, 39, looked both older and younger than the character he plays. Gone were the Afro, sideburns and mustache; at the cafe, he wore short hair and a full beard flecked with gray. Like Milchick, Tillman has impeccable manners, though he smiles a lot more — with his full face — and he laughs easily and doesn’t seem the type to self-flagellate in the mirror.
“I’m more loose, relaxed,” said Tillman, who grew up in Largo, Md., the youngest of five, but has called New York City home for the past decade. “And Milchick is very upright, straight.”
As snow flurries began to dot the sidewalk outside, Tillman discussed his inspiration for Milchick, his character’s motivations and the odds that we might see more of his sick dance skills in Season 2. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
How much did you know about Milchick when you took the role?
It was extremely vague — all they said about him was that he is an enthusiastic company man. So that can either give me intense anxiety or give me the thrill of my life. Fortunately, it gave me both, and I was able to really sink in and kind of bring all these colors to this guy. I didn’t want him to be just some random guy who pops in and out. I wanted him to have some kind of fun, some pizazz.
What questions did you have about him?
One thing I wanted to understand was, what is the town of Kier like? I presume that Milchick grew up in Kier — is it racially diverse? And if it’s not, is race a thing? I remember asking Ben [Stiller, the director and executive producer] — I said, “There’s nothing in the script that suggests that he is specifically Black, but you specifically wanted a Black actor to play this role.” So my question was: “Milchick is Black. Does he know that he’s Black?”
And that started a rich conversation around race, and the leadership that we see in this corporate structure that is predominantly white. Here is a young man who’s rising in ranks, or wanting to rise in the ranks, and he doesn’t have a lot of people that look like him in leadership positions. So what we see in Season 2 is how they reward Milchick with these paintings, and we start going on this journey of him being othered by the board in order to make him feel as though he is inferior.
We see that in Episode 5, when he asks Natalie (Sydney Cole Alexander), a fellow Black employee, about her experience when she received similar paintings [in which Lumon’s founder, Kier, is “inclusively recanonicalized” as Black].
When he’s first introduced to the paintings, he doesn’t have the opportunity to respond organically. He has to respond in a way that is pleasing to the board, because they’re listening. And with Natalie, you see that look between the two of them where it’s like, “They’re watching, so keep it together.” It’s testing them. And it’s him trying to reach out to her, to try to understand: “I just found out you got this too. What’s your response to it?” And she does not engage.
We also see Milchick get his first performance review this week since becoming manager of the severed floor. A number of petty, racially coded complaints are raised. Have you ever been accused of using too many big words?
No! It’s the littlest thing — it’s insane! But it’s so funny.
Have you ever worked an office job?
I’ve had many, but not as a manager. I worked at a nonprofit organization as an administrative assistant. I worked in the development office. I worked as an abstinence educator. I worked as a communications director, so I definitely had the corporate office job experience, and I draw from that a lot.
Would you be a good manager?
I don’t know if I care enough to be good manager. I think I would do enough just to get the job done, but I don’t think I would be the type of manager who’s exceeding expectations and quotas. I think I’d be very much like Mark [played by Adam Scott].
How do you flip into Milchick mode?
My hair and makeup definitely help. One thing I am adamant about is I tie my own ties. I tie my own shoes. I tend to shine my shoes as well. Before I even get into costume, I get up two hours before I’m scheduled to be picked up and I meditate. Milchick is a character that is very controlled, and in order for me to get to that point, because that is not who I am naturally, I definitely have to tap into my breathing. And also tap into the fact that here is a young, ambitious Black man with the name Seth Milchick. I don’t see that this guy had a lot of fun — I think he sat alone at the lunch table in school.
Is Milchick good or bad?
I love the fact that it’s complex. And because it’s complex, it allows me as the actor to take him in many different directions. One thing that is very clear is that he is loyal — maybe loyal to a fault — but he’s committed.
How did you get into acting?
I’m the youngest of five — my mom worked in government in D.C., and my dad worked for Amtrak. I was incredibly shy as a kid. The only time I liked performing was by myself in my little room. It was a way to let go and release and escape. And once I had the courage to admit at 10 years old that I wanted to be an actor, I was told I’d never make it, that I needed to go into medicine or law, or business or technology or science. I was studying to become an orthopedic surgeon at one point.
Were your siblings interested in the arts?
My older sister and I used to dance in front of the church, which was not entirely supported. A Black boy dancing, liturgical dance, to Kirk Franklin, “My Life Is in Your Hands,” or “I Believe in You and Me,” by Whitney Houston, was not something that was celebrated. Boys were not meant to be soft or delving into the arts.
What’s a skill you have that you haven’t had the chance to showcase onscreen yet?
I haven’t sung yet. That would be fun. I love to sing.
Will we see more of Milchick dancing in Season 2?
You’ll have to wait and see!
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