Ben Stiller Asked Barack Obama to Be in ‘Severance’; Obama Replied in an Email: I’m a ‘Big Fan’ but There’s ‘No Time in My Schedule’ – Variety
By
Ethan Shanfeld
Keanu Reeves has an uncredited voice role in “Severance,” narrating Lumon’s puppet propaganda video the innies watch in the first episode of Season 2. But the part was originally offered to someone else.
“There was one person that I asked before [Keanu Reeves], and he said no: President Barack Obama,” Stiller revealed on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Monday night.
Stiller, the executive producer and director of “Severance,” said he sent the offer to the former POTUS via a friend who knows Obama’s lawyer. So, Stiller composed an email to him describing the request, and “two days later, I get an email back from President Barack Obama.”
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Stiller recalled Obama’s message: “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.”
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Stiller then joked to Kimmel: “What’s more important than doing the voice-over for the animated building in ‘Severance’?” He added, “It was pretty cool that he responded.”
Even though Reeves was not credited as the voice behind the “Lumon Is Listening” video, fans immediately identified the “John Wick” star’s “warm, inviting voice,” as Stiller described it. Stiller added that Reeves took the part “very seriously” and recorded multiple takes of the voice-over in Los Angeles.
“Severance” creator Dan Erickson previously told Collider of the role, “We always wanted it to be somebody that people have certain associations with, but also, it had to be a very warm presence. 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.”
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Source: https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/ben-stiller-obama-severance-email-1236327227/
