Severance: Why Patricia Arquette Kept Getting Lost On Set Of AppleTV+ Show

Patricia Arquette reveals that she would often get lost on the set of AppleTV+’s Severance. Created by Dan Erikson, Severance is a sci-fi psychological thriller and workplace comedy series about a group of employees with surgically altered memories who set out to discover the truth about their jobs. Directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle, the series was, like many others, affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and subject to various production delays, with the first two episodes eventually premiering on Apple’s streaming service on February 18.

Severance has earned rave reviews from both audiences and critics thus far and the show holds an impressive 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. In addition to Arquette, the series stars Adam Scott, Christopher Walken, John Turturro, Zack Cherry, Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, Jen Tullock, and Dichen Lachman. Arquette, who is best known for roles in True Romance, Boyhood, Medium, and Stigmata, plays Harmony Cobel, the icy boss to Scott’s character, Mark.

In a new interview with EW, Arquette explains that, due to the labyrinthian nature of the set, she often found herself getting lost. The office building set was also constantly being rearranged for different scenes, she explains, which made it easy to get confused from day-to-day. Arquette jokes that she would even have to call out for help on occasion. Check out Arquette’s full comment below:

“And we would get lost on the set all the time. They were always changing doorway openings, adding walls, and taking walls out. We’d be in there like a rat in a maze, like, ‘I’m on set, I can’t find you guys!'”

While Arquette seems to be at least partially joking, the claims of getting lost do seem valid. The nature of Severance‘s set, with its relatively plain rooms and hallways, do often give the impression of everything feeling quite similar. To conserve space in what is likely a limited sound stage, the set also can’t be built in its entirety, meaning, as Arquette explains, things are shifted around and rearranged depending on the shooting schedule.

While AppleTV+ is relatively new to the streaming game compared to the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime, the service is clearly stepping up efforts when it comes to original content. Severance doesn’t dominate the cultural conversation in the way that Stranger Things does, but the world of the show is unique in the TV and streaming landscape, as is its concept. From the tone and the characters to the set design, Severance is something wholly unique and boasts strong acting talent in the form of Scott, Walken, Arquette, and Turturro. The fact that Arquette got lost on set, if anything, confirms just how well the set reflects the confusing and mysterious nature of the show. New episodes of Severance release Fridays on AppleTV+.

Source: EW

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