After nearly three years, the Severance Season 2 premiere is finally upon us. The show experienced several production delays and complications, some brought on by the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which led many people to believe that Severance Season 2 was never going to happen.
Those concerns can now safely be put to rest, and with a nearly perfect score of 94% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, Severance fans can breathe easy knowing Dan Erickson and Ben Stiller delivered once again. One of the universally beloved dynamics in the show is that between Irving (John Turturro) and Burt (Christopher Walken), and Collider’s Carly Lane recently asked Walken if he knew that Turturro personally pitched for him to play Burt. Check out his comments below, where he also spoke about their relationship off-screen:
“I’ve only learned that recently, and I’m very glad to hear it. I’m glad it happened. I think one of the things about Burt and Irving has to do with Chris and John. I’ve known John for a very long time — 40 or 50 years. We were young actors, going around New York looking for work. I’ve known him a long time. He’s a terrific director, and I’ve been in two or three of his movies. I know his family. You can tell when you see people together that they’ve known each other a long time, that they like each other, they laugh at each other’s jokes, they finish sentences, and so I think it makes absolute sense that John and I would be playing people who love each other.”
Both John Turturro and Christopher Walken received an Emmy nomination for their performance in Severance Season 1, and while neither took home the trophy, the fact that Turturro picked out Walken himself is a testament to his insight not only as an actor but as a creative looking to serve the show at large.
If someone else had been cast as either Burt or Irving, the show would undeniably lack the same emotionally charged story between their characters that drives much of the first season. It’s clear that Walken and Turturro have a relationship that transcends their work together as Irving and Burt, and the time they’ve spent together not only as colleagues but as lifelong friends is certainly a major part of why their relationship in Severance hits as hard as it does.
What Else Have John Turturro and Christopher Walken Been in Together?
Walken speaks the truth when he says that he’s been in a few of Turturro’s directorial outings; the two recently teamed up for The Jesus Rolls, the 2019 R-rated romantic comedy that was written and directed by Turturro, which he also stars in alongside Walken and Bobby Cannavale.
Jon Hamm and Tim Blake Nelson were also tapped to feature in The Jesus Rolls. The two also worked together 20 years ago on Romance & Cigarettes, the 2005 dark comedy led by the late James Gandolfini. Turturro did not star in Romance & Cigarettes, but Walken did alongside Kate Winslet and Cannavale.
Severance Season 2 premieres this Friday, January 17. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates and coverage of the series throughout Season 2 and watch Severance on Apple TV+.
Last modified: January 23, 2025
