Despite only running for a couple of seasons so far, Severance has become a global sensation, and a huge cultural hit for Apple TV+ at a time when it really needed to demonstrate its x factor compared to bigger streaming services. The show's now in what we expect to be a lengthy pause after the increasingly mad action of season 2.
That gap could run for a few years, given that the show's writers and creators have been open about the fact that work hasn't really started in earnest on a third season yet. So, there are probably a good few million fans out there getting a little desperate about their prospects of getting any more Severance content anytime soon.
At this point, fair play to Apple, though – it's just uploaded something to its Apple TV+ YouTube channel that should be mandatory viewing for any big Severance fan. You can now see the pre-taped audition of Britt Lower, one of the show's most impressive stars, as she vied for the role of Helly R in the show well before it started production.
It's a completely absorbing watch, showing Lower go through the first scene her character takes part in, and the extremely memorable opening of the first season. Helly wakes up in a boardroom with no memory of how she got there, or even really a memory of who she is – but in Lower's audition, this is substituted for what looks like her bathroom floor.
Being able to watch audition tapes isn't completely unheard of; they're often included as bonus features on high-profile physical releases of older movies, for example. Still, it's always a bit of a privilege, since it gives you a pretty clear view of how the show was first envisioned, and how a performer's first idea of a scene might have changed over time.
In Lower's case, though, the most impressive part is that you can see the bones of her real performance right there. The physicality of how Helly R holds herself is already in evidence, and her delivery is startlingly accurate to what she'd go on to actually record once she got cast.
It's a fascinating look at the show's production process, and well worth a look if you're strapping in for a few years of impatience before the show returns.
