Severance is one of the hottest shows on TV right now, thanks to its engaging mysteries, amazing sci-fi concept, and stellar performances from its ensemble cast. The show does have on-screen queerness thanks to the romance between Burt (Christopher Walken) and Irving (John Turturro) in its first season — and the seeds of flirtation between Irving and Dylan (Zach Cherry) in the currently airing second season — but it’s even queerer behind the scenes, and fans are celebrating the series’ LGBTQ+ stars.
That includes Tramell Tillman, who stars as Seth Milchick, supervisor of the severed floor at Lumon. Tillman is openly gay, which he discussed in a recent interview with The Cut.
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“I had to do it silently,” he said of exploring his sexuality. “I just started to question it the more my world opened up.”
Tillman’s choice to come out was partially inspired by providing the Black gay representation, which he saw was lacking in entertainment. “I looked up the top 100 gay men in the industry. The majority of them were white,” Tillman recalled. “I had this knock on my heart saying, ‘Tramell, you have a choice.’”
Severance’s Jen Tullock, who plays main character Mark’s (Adam Scott) sister Devon, is also gay. Her 2024 marriage to wife Marie Ronn was covered in the New York Times, along with a summary of their adorable romance (including a spontaneous proposal).
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There’s plenty of excitement (and queerness) in store for this season, and we’re ready for all of it.
The Severance cast also includes queer actor Michael Cumpsty, who played security guard Doug Graner on Season 1. Sadly, Cumpsty’s character — spoiler alert — didn’t make it out the first season alive, so our only chance at seeing him in Season 2 is a flashback. Fingers crossed!
And though it was in the ‘70s, Christopher Walken did once identify as bisexual himself. In a 1973 interview with entertainment magazine After Dark, Walken talked about playing (and relating to) a bisexual version of Bassanio in William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice.
“I suppose I think of the man I’m playing as bisexual, and I suppose that’s how I think of myself too,” Walken said. “I’d hate to think that I was harnessed to heterosexuality. I mean, my life is heterosexual, but I like to think that my head is bisexual, and I think it’s a good idea for everybody to start getting used to that notion, because that way one becomes aware of a lot more things.”
New episodes of Severance release on Apple TV+ on Fridays at 3 a.m. ET. Check out the Season 2 trailer below.
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