EXCLUSIVE| 'Severance' star Tramell Tillman dishes on crafting Milchick, on-set life
Apple TV+'s office thriller 'Severance' which revolves around a unique procedure that allows for an "ideal" work-life balance, has been raking in great reviews for its masterful sequences, intriguing story, gripping scenes, and great performances by the cast.
Amid the stellar cast, we have a breakout star who plays a man shrouded in mystery and carries out Lumon's bizarre work. Yes, it's none other than Tramell Tillman, who plays Milchick, the intimidating manager of the Severed floor, and works with the head Ms Cobel (Patricia Arquette) to maintain order.
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Having starred in series like 'Godfather of Harlem', 'Hunters' and more, Tillman's most recent role adds to his growing list, and is one of the most fascinating characters of the show. He portrays Milchick, who manages to enthrall and simultaneously terrify. So in an exclusive with MEAWW, the talented actor, who has graced the screen and stage for over 20 years, spoke on crafting his character, life on set, and more about 'Severance'.
'Severance' marks one of your biggest roles to date. What was your reaction to bagging the part of Milchick on the intriguing Apple TV+ show and the acclaim it has received?
It was extremely bizarre, I had no idea what the show was about and was very uncertain about my character. You know, Milchick was described as an enthusiastic company man, so there wasn't much to go off from there. But Dan Erickson and Ben Stiller were really great and helped guide me through this show and built this character while really trying to get to the crux of who he is without giving so much away. We didn't want to compromise the integrity of the show and we enjoyed the mystery of Milchick. That's what makes him so intriguing, I mean he's certainly a multilayered character which I wanted to craft because personally, I like playing multilayered characters.
Once the show aired, I was floored at how people responded to it because we never know when we create art, we never know how people are going to respond to it. I noticed how people were intrigued, they were frustrated in a really beautiful way and also floored at the photography, scenes and artwork, and the specificity of the show. And as episodes continue to be released, more and more fans vocalized how they love the show. Episode 7 'Defiant Jazz' gives Milchick the opportunity to be showcased more as well as to let loose, like literally let loose (laughs) on the dance floor if you will and I just take so much delight in the joy and a little bit of the fear that people have around Milchick. People have really embraced this character, so I'm glad to see it and fortunate to be able to give it life.
How was it working with Ben Stiller? What is he like as a director?
So Ben was very exacting. He’s a specific director and that's really helpful for a show like this because in and of itself it's specific. He was always present to help guide us through this journey because this is one of the rare instances where my character Milchick knows more than Tramell does. I remember my first day on set in October of 2020 while we were still fighting the pandemic and I hadn't acted in probably about a year or so on television. I had my first scene with John Turturro and I was a nervous wreck trying my best not to show it, there was so much choreography, the cameras were spinning and we had to walk at a certain pace to get the shot just right. I felt like I was fumbling over my lines and I remember Ben stopping for a moment and getting us all together and saying, “Listen, everybody, I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is that we are going to do this shot until we get it right, the bad news is that we are going to do this shot until we get it right." And that allowed me to laugh and John was really, really kind, warm, and comforting which also let me relax a bit. We were all able to jump in and get the shot done. It's an example of who Ben is on is on set. Very serious, can be playful at times, and specific.
Your character Milchick showcases hostility that is thinly veiled with friendliness. Did you have any references or take inspiration from any character that we may have seen before?
Oh, That's a good question! I definitely drew on experiences working in corporate America, my own experiences and colleagues that I've worked with, and bosses that I've had. I definitely created a mix of those personalities to create Milchick. There are countless performances there that I've seen that fuel this. But crafting Milchick was really an exercise in people-watching, and I love to people watch. Living in New York, sitting on the subway, going to the park, really just helped to fuel how this guy is, how he moves, what his spaces are, his internal life. And drawing on these personal experiences, I tried keeping him as a genuine guy. But he is just a little bit off-kilter, which for me not only makes him fun to play but also engaging to watch other people interact with this guy since he is so off-putting.
Episode 7 'Defiant Jazz' really lets Milchick shine and saw him shake a leg with the MDR department. You were great on the dance floor and seemed like a natural, do you love to dance in reality as well?
I do!!! I like to dance. I enjoy it! When I found out that we were doing the Music Dance Experience at the beginning of the season during the table read I was so excited. And because I did not know the magnitude of what it was going to look like since it hadn't been fully realized at the time, I spent many days in my apartment in New York blasting the music of 'Earth wind & Fire', 'The Emotions', 'Stevie Wonder' to find Milchick’s dance moves. And I was so excited when the day came to do MDE. It took two days to film that sequence, but it was such a joy and was so much fun! I have to give credit to our choreographer Tara Rodriguez who stepped in and was a wonderful guide along with Ben to try to craft the levels of this dance. And as you can see each character had their own specific dance which was really fun. It was great, I loved it and now I know that fans did too! (laughs) It's that mix of joy and also fear, you know. It's scary, I remember watching a little snippet of it with Ben and I said I look so eerie. And he was like, "Well you are eerie, you’re just so eerie." (laughs). But it's so cool and so fun.
(To lend an easy-to-read experience for our readers, the original interview is split into multiple stories. Stay with us as we update our site with more of Tillman's insights on 'Severance' and his experiences working on the show)