Adam Scott took inspiration from Tom Cruise for Severance Season 2’s “incredible” running scene
Apple TV+Severance Season 2 is already proving to be a hit, with fans praising the first episode – but no scene is being talked about more than Mark’s desperate run towards the Wellness Room.
After a long-awaited return, Severance Season 2 opened with Mark’s Innie awaking in the elevator at Lumon. When he gets his bearings, he sprints out and runs down the winding, maze-like hallways of the building, hoping to find Ms. Casey in the Wellness Room.
It’s an impressive sequence, and a lengthy one at that. Fans were immediately drawn back into the fold with the “incredible” scene, which has already cemented itself as one of Apple TV+’s best moments.
Naturally, such a scene required a lot of work. In the newest episode of the official Severance podcast hosted by Ben Stiller and Adam Scott, the pair break down just what it took to make the moment – and which action movie star served as inspiration.
Severance Season 2’s opening scene took “a lot” of logistics
When discussing the production of Mark’s running scene, Stiller revealed that the sequence (which plays out like a one-take shot), consisted of “about 10 different pieces.” Scott then added, “And we shot those 10 different pieces over a period of five months.”
Having one scene shot over a period of five months sounds like an incredible feat, but Stiller’s description of the production explains why it took such an extensive amount of time.
“Each one had a different need in terms of what had to be done with the set,” he explained. “So there was one where we had to do it completely with green screen and have you on a treadmill and have a motion control camera.
“There was one where we had to pull one of the walls out, and we were using this machine called a Bolt arm, that’s a motion-controlled robot arm with the cameras on.”
Because of the demanding nature of the scene, Stiller added, “We had to schedule it at a time when you guys would be shooting scenes on another set. That was a lot of logistics.”
Apple TV+For Scott, the scene involved “a lot of running.” Since the episode was released, the star revealed he’s been frequently asked about his training for the sequence. As he admits, there was no training.
“Of course I should have trained,” he said. “You know what? The training was doing it. I got into good shape from doing all of this running.”
When Stiller jokingly suggested Scott should have studied Tom Cruise’s famous running technique, Scott replied, “Which is actually what I did. Anyone that wants to train for running of any kind, just watch Tom Cruise.”
Severance Season 2 Episode 1 is available to stream on Apple TV+ now. For more, check out our full Episode 1 recap. You can also remind yourself of everything we learned in Season 1, and take a look at the other Apple TV+ shows to watch this month.