S2E8: Sweet Vitriol (with Patricia Arquette and Jimmy Kimmel)

The second season may be over, but the Severance Podcast is back with an extra special bonus episode, where Ben and Adam look at all of season 2 with some incredible guests. First, they welcome back everyone’s favorite brain-in-a-jar, Severance creator Dan Erickson, to answer your hotline questions and uncover the origin story behind how his brain got in a jar. Then, Ben and Adam are joined by the hosts of the podcast We Know Severance (Josh Wigler, Dr. Melissa Woodward, Dr. Amanda Rabinowitz) to talk about the real-world science of Severance — and two of the hosts are literal doctors, so they know what they’re talking about. Finally, Grammy-winning artist SZA comes on the pod to share how Severance has impacted her life and meditate on one of the central themes of the show: who are you? To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It is a momentous day — the season finale podcast is here! To break down Season 2 Episode 10, Ben and Adam are joined by Icelandic superstar Darri Olafsson, who plays Lumon’s very-own Mr. Drummond. He reveals how he balances playing a bureaucrat who is also an enforcer and how common it is to hang out with Björk in Iceland. Then, Britt Lower and Zach Cherry are back on the podcast to talk about Helly and Dylan’s monumental decisions in the finale, Ben’s love of animatronics and drumlines, and the importance of dental hygiene. Plus, they soft-launch their new podcast that’s going to give Ben and Adam a run for their money. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you did a word cloud of this week’s podcast episode, the number one word would be PENULTIMATE. Because this week, we’re talking all about Season 2 Episode 9 — that’s right, it’s the penultimate episode of the season. For this momentous occasion, Ben and Adam are joined by Sydney Cole Alexander, who plays Natalie, conduit to the Board and conduit to our fan hotline. They discuss Natalie’s infamous smile, the different way she handles Milchick and Cobel, and how corporate “friendly feedback” can feel like getting stabbed in the heart. Plus, Sydney sticks around to give some Lumon-approved answers to your hotline questions. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For Season 2 Episode 8 of Severance, it’s the Harmony Cobel Show. And there’s no one better to break it down with Ben and Adam than Cobel herself — Patricia Arquette! They talk all about how she built Cobel’s backstory and how Newfoundland became the perfect Salt’s Neck. Then, Ben and Adam are joined by Severance superfan Jimmy Kimmel to answer some of the your burning hotline questions, including: would you rather be a fetid moppet or a shambolic rube? To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, it’s finally time to take the elevator down to the testing floor. To break down all the revelations in Season 2 Episode 7, Ben and Adam are joined by Dichen Lachman, who plays Gemma / Ms. Casey. She shares what it was like filming in a brand new location with a new cast of characters, how she and Adam built out the relationship between Gemma and Mark, and the origin story of Ms. Casey’s iconic wig. Then, Ben sits down with Jessica Lee Gagné, Severance’s main cinematographer and director of the episode, to talk about why she chose this episode as her directorial debut. Plus: why you should never offer up your own house as a filming location. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Legendary actor Christopher Walken, who plays Burt, is on the podcast this week to nerd out about acting with Ben and help break down Season 2 Episode 6. He reflects on the unique energy between him and John Turturro, playing two different sides of Burt, and why Bugs Bunny might be the greatest actor of all time. Then, Ben and Adam discuss the rest of the episode and the relationships growing both inside and outside of Lumon. But wait — there’s even more! The guys also talk with Sarah Bock, who plays Ms. Huang, about how scary Ms. Huang can be and what the first year of college has been like for Sarah. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Ben and Adam welcome Michael Chernus — who plays Ricken Hale, the visionary author of “The You You Are” — to help unpack Season 2 Episode 5. And while you might expect Ricken to host a podcast of his own, Michael reveals that Ricken is actually post-podcast, so today’s episode is a really big deal. Together, they discuss Ricken’s writing, his relationship with Devon, and the actorly impulse to be liked. Then, Ben and Adam break down the rest of the episode and the challenges of crafting this soft-reset for the MDR team. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For Season 2 Episode 4, Ben and Adam are joined by Severance’s Emmy-winning composer, Theodore Shapiro — or, Teddy Shaps, as his friends call him. He pulls back the curtain on his long-standing collaboration with Ben Stiller, going all the way back to 2004’s Dodgeball; the four chords that unlocked Severance’s ear-worm of a main theme; and the world of Kier folk tunes he discovered while scoring this episode. Then, Ben and Adam talk about filming this monumental episode where the Outties go out-f***ing-side. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To unpack Season 2 Episode 3, Ben and Adam are joined by Gwendoline Christie, who plays a mysterious new Lumon employee, for her first ever podcast. And she’s a natural! They talk all about her unique acting journey, the power of leaning into the absurd and obscene, and how protective her character is of her department -- the people and the goats. Plus, she reveals the three things she learned about goats while filming Severance: they are highly intelligent, they eat everything, and they are little freaks. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Everyone’s favorite brain in a jar, Severance creator Dan Erickson, is back with Ben and Adam to talk about Season 2 Episode 2. Dan reflects on creating an all-Outtie episode, wearing uncomfortable shoes in solidarity with actors, and the shared door-factory-universe between Severance and Monsters Inc. They also answer the question everyone’s been asking: what do you eat for lunch at Lumon? To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices