How Severance's Tramell Tillman Was Cast In Mission: Impossible 8 With No Audition
"Severance" standout Tramell Tillman is deservedly getting some high-profile gigs thanks to his turn as the embodiment of petty corporate micromanagement and the show's strangest character, Seth Milchick. (It's worth pointing out that Tillman himself was nothing like his character when /Film interviewed him about the hit series.) In fact, his most recent role is in just about the biggest movie showcase that an actor on the rise could hope for — a little project by the name of "Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning."
As film fans are no doubt aware, Tillman appears in the Tom Cruise spy adventure as Jack Bledsoe, the captain of the USS Ohio. However, what they might not know is that the "Severance" star landed the role without as much as an audition ... and it's all thanks to his breakout role in the Apple TV+ sci-fi gem. Here's how Tillman himself described the Zoom call he took with "The Final Reckoning" writer-director Christopher McQuarrie during an interview with Entertainment Weekly:
"So, I don't know if you know this, but Christopher McQuarrie is a big fan of 'Severance.' He went on to talk about 'Mission Impossible,' and he said that there was a role in it for me, and I asked him, I said, 'Well, what do we do from here? What's the deal?' He said, 'You think about it, and if you want to take the role, it's yours.'"
Tillman was understandably over the moon when he was offered the role
Audition or no audition, Tillman turned out to be a great fit for the franchise. In fact, Chris Evangelista specifically highlighted the actor's scene-stealer of a performance in his "Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning" review for /Film. That being said, Tillman himself quite understandably lacked the kind of calm required from a submarine captain after he wrapped up the McQuarrie call and understood the magnitude of the opportunity the filmmaker had offered. Here's how the actor described his next steps to EW:
"I ended the meeting and I closed my laptop, and I jumped up and down, and ran around my apartment, and called my team and I said, 'Listen, I know that we're gearing up to film for season 2 of 'Severance,' but we got to figure this out.' And I accepted the offer to come play in 'Mission: Impossible.'"
Tillman's "Severance" gig has clearly put his name on some pretty influential lips, and he's not afraid to embrace the career opportunities this is bringing his way. As such, it's entirely possible that we can expect more fun Tramell Tillman casting stories in the not too distant future.
"Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning" is currently playing in theaters.