Severance's cast includes Adam Scott, Zach Cherry, Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, Jen Tullock, Dichen Lachman, Michael Chernus, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, Patricia Arquette, and Sarah Bock in regular roles.

In the Severance season 2 premiere, directed by Ben Stiller, the of the Macrodata Refinement department – Mark, Helly, Dylan, and Irving – return to the severed floor after the Overtime Contingency. The four are taken to the renovated break room and shown an animated "Lumon is Listening" reform orientation video. The video features an anthropomorphized version of their Lumon building, voiced by none other than Keanu Reeves. However, he wasn't their first choice for the voice cameo.

Severance Season 2's Secret A-List Cameo Was Originally Intended For Barack Obama

Ben Stiller Revealed On Jimmy Kimmel Live

Keanu Reeves' cameo in Severance season 2 was originally intended for Barack Obama, Ben Stiller reveals. After the season 2 premiere, which aired on January 17, the series creator Dan Erickson confirmed that it was in fact Keanu Reeves' voice that audiences heard in the Lumon orientation video. However, he also revealed that Reeves wasn't the only actor they considered for the cameo, though his warm and friendly voice ultimately proved to be the best choice to bring the Lumon building to life.

During a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Ben Stiller revealed that Keanu Reeves' cameo in Severance season 2 was originally intended for Barack Obama. Stiller wrote an email to the former president, who responded, saying that he loved the show but simply didn't have time in his schedule for the voice cameo. Read Stiller's full story or watch the portion of the video below, starting at the 9:00 minute mark:

It was a very short list of people. There was one person that I asked before him, and he said no. President Barack Obama. I didn't ask him in person. I knew someone who knew his lawyer and his lawyer said, "I can relay the request if you write an email," so I wrote an email to him saying like, "Hey we have the show, whatever," and like two days later, I get an email back from President Barack Obama saying, "Hey Ben, big fan of the show, love season 1, can't wait for season 2. I don't think I have time in my schedule to make this happen." I'm like, "What's more important than doing the voice-over for the animated building in Severance." But it was pretty cool that he responded.

What Barack Obama Turning Down Severance Season 2's Cameo Meant For The Show

They Found The Perfect Actor For The Job

Barack Obama was certainly an ambitious choice for voicing an animated building in Severance, but not entirely implausible considering the former president has been involved in the entertainment industry, launching Higher Ground Productions in 2018 to produce films for Netflix. However, he has yet to appear in a scripted project, animated or otherwise. Though hearing Obama's iconic voice in Severance would have certainly been interesting, they ultimately found the right actor for the job, Keanu Reeves, whose warm and friendly voice was perfect for bringing the Lumon building to life.

Severance season 2 airs new episodes on Fridays on Apple TV+.

Source: Jimmy Kimmel Live