Behind the Scenes Shenanigans: Ben Stiller, Adam Scott, and the Severance Team Reveal Their Fun-Filled Off-Screen Bonding Moments (Exclusive)

While Severance addresses somber themes, the cast and crew of the Apple TV+ thriller still discover ways to share joy together.

“I believe we had 186 days of filming this season. Therefore, we all shared many moments,” Ben Stiller, one of the show’s directors and executive producers, reveals to PEOPLE exclusively. “When we traveled to shoot episode four in the mountains, it was a blast. We hosted a wrap party for that episode at a roller rink, which was fantastic and extremely enjoyable.”

Stiller, 59, adds, “I recall we all observed the eclipse together. The solar eclipse. I have photos of us stepping outside the set in the Bronx to watch that.”

Reflecting on how the Severance team was “filming the finale when the eclipse occurred,” Adam Scott (who portrays the main character Mark Scout) humorously remarked about his free time: “I became a grandfather for the first time three times during season two. We all resided in a lodge together up in the mountains.”

As fellow cast member Zack Cherry (Dylan George) points out that the group does “have a lot of fun” as they “entertain one another,” Britt Lower (Helly Riggs) observes that the crew tends to “discuss many topics at length.”

“We engage in numerous childlike games with rules that shift quickly,” she continued. “It’s quite a sterile environment, and I believe we derive a lot of humor from just being silly together.”

“We engage in imaginative play during our breaks from professionally pretending,” adds Cherry, 37.

From the viewpoint of Christopher Walken, who plays Burt Goodman, he finds that “a lot of sitting around and waiting” on set is “one of the enjoyable aspects” of the job.

“John [Turturro] and I had plenty of fun just sitting and chatting,” recalls Walken, 81. “We could talk about anything. We even discussed potentially writing a book about all that we’ve conversed about.”

Although Tramell Tillman (Seth Milchick) mentions a “seriousness” and “concentration because the content is quite intense,” he shares that they “still attempt to keep it light-hearted whenever possible.”

“We enjoy having a great time,” he adds. “Sometimes we have a little dance break off to the side to keep the atmosphere cheerful.”

The second season of the acclaimed series resumes where the story left off, with Mark and his fellow Lumon innies (as well as their outies) coping with the consequences of the shocking incidents that occurred during the season one finale, which aired in 2022.

Returning to character after a prolonged break (partly due to the actors’ and writers’ strikes of 2023) was not particularly difficult for Scott, who mentions that the cast “spent considerable time during the interval between seasons, discussing the show because we were involved in press and activities, along with conversing among ourselves about the show and its direction for season two.”

“By the time we commenced shooting, I felt quite prepared and ready to go,” Scott, 51, adds. “In season 1, we operated in a bubble, following Ben in this exploration of tone, character development, and establishing the parameters of the universe. All that foundational work was completed, making it a matter of diving back in to broaden that world and the characters.”

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The inaugural season received accolades from both audiences and critics, culminating in the series winning a Peabody Award. Unsurprisingly, with such recognition comes the expectation to deliver another remarkable season — but director-producer Stiller, 59, was not apprehensive about this.

“We were primarily focused on continuing the narrative. For those who became attached to the first season and truly appreciated it, we pondered daily on how to make this as engaging, thrilling, and hopefully enigmatic and poignant, encapsulating all the elements one would aspire for,” Stiller explains. “You can’t really surpass something as it poses the question of what that entails. You simply endeavor to carry on with the story and, hopefully, the audience enjoys it, and you do your utmost.”

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Severance is set to return to Apple TV+ on January 17. Meanwhile, season 1 is currently available for full streaming on the platform.