Say what you will about Severance, you cannot deny that the show really goes for it. The second season has been filled with some big twists, as well as a surprising voice cameo from Keanu Reeves as the narrator of a video in the season’s first episode.
In speaking with Jimmy Kimmel on Monday night, though, director Ben Stiller revealed that they originally went after someone even more high-profile to do the video narration. “There was one person that I asked before [Keanu Reeves], and he said no: President Barack Obama,” Stiller explained.
Stiller explained that he sent the offer to the former president via a friend who knows the family lawyer. “Two days later, I get an email back from President Barack Obama,” Stiller explained. “Hey Ben, big fan of the show, love Season 1, can’t wait for Season 2. Don’t think I have time in my schedule to make this happen,” Stiller said the message read.
“What’s more important than doing the voice-over for the animated building in Severance?” Stiller joked, “It was pretty cool that he responded.”
Obama might have been a little too big for the part, whereas Reeves turned out to have been the perfect fit. He’s a voice you recognize, but might not immediately place.
“We always wanted it to be somebody that people have certain associations with, but also, it had to be a very warm presence,” show creator Dan Erickson previously explained to Collider. “The Lumon building is very friendly in the context of this video, and there’s a friendliness to that particular voice and a heart to that particular voice.”
