“Your voice is one of the most powerful instruments you have,” Tillman said. “Take care of it, cultivate it, and learn how to use it.”
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00:00I don't have to dig too deep to know what it's like to be othered by a corporation or an organization
00:07that is doing a move for performative inclusion. You know, we see that all the time.
00:16And what's really compelling is that we're taking the risk to tell that story.
00:30So Tramell, so my first question, your character Seth Milchik on Severance, he's very complex.
00:38I wanted to go back to season one. What initially drew you to the role?
00:42And how did you approach embodying a character with such a controlled yet deeply complex presence?
00:48What first attracted me to the role is that it was very different. You know, I auditioned with
00:55the sides from episode one, where Heli is being integrated into the severed floor,
01:07and we're doing the red ball game. And through the text alone, I could see that this guy,
01:15he's like a coach, he's a teacher, right? So there's a level of guidance and trust that he
01:20needs to have or establish with the fellow innies. But then there were moments in other
01:26scenes that I could see that this guy was also a disciplinarian, and a stern disciplinarian,
01:32because there's a line that Mark says that, you know, Mr. Milchik is a really nice guy,
01:39but sometimes he's not. And you don't want to see that. You don't want to witness that,
01:44essentially. And I thought that was really interesting. So this is a guy who can instill
01:50fear and control when necessary. And that's when my creative juices started flowing.
01:58Because I'll tell you, the breakdown of the role was basically 20s to 50s, African American,
02:06and an enthusiastic company man. So everything you see is basically my interpretation of what
02:15that looks like. This man who establishes trust, who can move from the world of the
02:24innies to their outies, also being able to work with his fellow co-workers and also the board.
02:32You know, this man has to be a bit of a chameleon. And I got the sense that he's also a keeper of
02:39secrets, because he's one of the only people on the severed floor that knows their innies
02:45and their outies very well. Right. And he does everything that he can to separate those worlds.
02:51So I said, this man holds power. And I wanted to embody that physically and to have a sense of
02:59his language, which is very specific as well, was also important.
03:04So I want to go to the broader view of the actual show. When you first ran across the
03:10script for this show, you know, because Severance is one of the most unique series I've ever had
03:18the opportunity to watch. What was your initial thought when you saw, you know,
03:21the script for the show outside of just your character?
03:23Well, I mean, you said it. It's unique. I had never seen anything like it. I never
03:28read another script that was that was as compelling and weird and also multi-genre in a way.
03:36And so I was really curious as to what this show was really about. And also like what
03:42what the hell do they do down there? You know what I mean? So that's what really drew me in.
03:49I'm always attracted to projects and stories that tell new perspectives,
03:58that tell stories in a different way or tell a bit of history that we haven't experienced before.
04:04And this show really does do that. It has a message. It's saying something.
04:10So I wanted to, you know, Seth is one of the few Black characters on the show. And you spoke about
04:17the challenges of being one of the few Black employees in the fictional world, along with
04:22your real life experiences, too. How do you think your real life experiences helped you portray
04:27Milchik specifically in this season that we're going through now?
04:30I mean, I'm drawing so much of my personal life and personal experiences
04:36in order to play Milchik. You know, I don't have to dig too deep to know what it's like to be
04:45othered by a corporation or an organization that is doing a move for performative inclusion.
04:54You know, we see that all the time. And what's really compelling is that
05:02we're taking the risk to tell that story. I've had the conversation with Dan and Ben about
05:10their relationship to bringing race into the world of the show. In season one, we didn't see that.
05:19It was important for me to play a character who was aware of their Blackness,
05:24especially being in a world he's surrounded by people that do not look like him.
05:28But then when it came to season two, you know, Dan approached me about the Keir paintings
05:35and asked me, you know, if I would be OK with telling that story.
05:39And so from that moment on, it was very imperative that we did the best job that
05:45we could to take care of that character and to take care of that community.
05:50And what I really enjoyed were the conversations that spawned from that moment of the presentation
05:58of the Keir paintings and what that iconography does to both Natalie and Milchik and what Milchik
06:08does with those paintings and how it influences the rest of his journey in season two.
06:14So now I want to talk about your journey, actually, sir. I was born and raised in New Orleans.
06:20And my mother, she went to Xavier University, too, and I was doing research on you.
06:24And I said, you began, you know, you started a career in medicine.
06:27You want to pursue medicine. You went to Xavier for a little bit and you pivoted
06:32to Jackson State and then ultimately did. I wanted to kind of talk to you.
06:35What led to this transition in your career path? And I'm going to start with you,
06:42transition in your career path. And how do you think your background influences
06:46how you act and approach your craft today? Honestly, it was me following my bliss.
06:52I've wanted to act ever since I was little. I was told I was never going to make it as an actor.
06:58It's too hard. And if I wanted a sure thing in life, then I should go into STEM,
07:05science, technology, engineering, math. And, you know, I respected that advice.
07:13And so I went into the sciences, but I was unhappy and I was watching so many people,
07:20many of my colleagues and classmates who have gone on to become doctors,
07:23successful doctors. They were involved in things that they enjoy. They loved it.
07:30They enjoyed nomenclatures and balancing equations and studying the cell structure.
07:35And I just really didn't care. It was interesting to a point, but it wasn't for me, you know, and
07:43my mom always told me, it's like, you got one life to live,
07:47you know, and if you're going to go out and live life, enjoy what you're doing.
07:51If you have the opportunity to do that. And this is coming from a generation of people who
07:57didn't have the opportunities that we have today. You know, they were fighting bigger and messier
08:04and dangerous fights, you know, just to be able to vote or be able to go home safely, you know,
08:12and here we are in my generation. I don't know how old you are, but, you know, in this generation,
08:18we have a little bit more advantages because of them and those that came before them.
08:24So it's like, for me, I wanted to be able to take the risk if I could. And with guidance from
08:32Mark G. Henderson, Dr. Mark G. Henderson, who I knew from Jackson State University,
08:36who was the head of acting at the theater department there, you know, he sat me down
08:41and challenged me to go after what I love to do. And I was terrified because I didn't have any
08:48direct role models. I didn't have people that I knew around me that could say, you could really
08:55do this, not say it, but show me that they could do this. There was no roadmap for me.
09:01And don't get me wrong. There were people who believed in me,
09:04but I needed to know that it was possible. So I had to believe in myself. And when you jump from
09:11career to career to career and you are run down and you are miserable, you get to a point where
09:15you're like, I don't want to do this anymore. I got to find the thing that lifts me up, that gives
09:21me joy. And that was performing. And so in 2009, I went full steam ahead to try to figure out a way
09:29to make this happen. And I ended up going to grad school in 2011. I was one of the first Black men
09:35to graduate from the University of Tennessee's MFA program, the only person of color in my class,
09:44and then went off to New York in 2014 and just continued to pound the pavement
09:51and got regional theater gigs and did classics and Shakespeare and,
09:57you know, did television and film and just trying to find my way.
10:03So in your answer, which I really appreciated, you said you didn't know how old I was.
10:09I'll be turning 40 next July. And I know someone else that's turning 40 soon as well, too,
10:17which is a big milestone. Huge. For this new decade, what are some of the biggest
10:22lessons you've learned in your life and your career? Your voice is one of the most powerful
10:29instruments you have. Take care of it, cultivate it and learn how to use it.
10:36I've also learned to trust my instincts.
10:41And that was powerful for me because I was often told that my instincts were wrong.
10:49So I had to go on a journey to learn how to trust myself.
10:55I also learned that family is not always blood.
10:59You know, there's a difference between your given family and your chosen family.
11:04And while I love my my provided family very, very dearly,
11:11majority of the support that I received consistently came from a chosen family.
11:19You know, aside from my mom and my sister, you know, because they were always been supportive
11:24of me. But my when my mom and sister were not always couldn't be there and I was out in New York,
11:35it was the chosen family that rallied behind me and supported me in the community.
11:39You know, there's value in that. And also, you know, don't take yourself so seriously.
11:48Learn to laugh, enjoy life.
11:50Life can be hard. It's tough. It can be dark, but it can be really beautiful to New York, New York City.
11:58You've you've called that your home for some time. You're originally from Maryland, correct?
12:03Yes, I am. Largo, Maryland.
12:05So, you know, with New York being such a epicenter of arts and creativity and everything,
12:12how do you think that place has shaped your life?
12:16How do you think that place has shaped you as an actor and how has that affected your craft?
12:24It toughened me up for sure. You got to have a grit out in these streets. I'm gonna tell you that,
12:30man. Like the multitasking and the problem solving, the creative problem solving you got to
12:38have being a New Yorker is is spellbounding. And I, I definitely appreciate how New York has shaped
12:47me. There's a tenacity that I have. There's a work ethic, a passion, a drive that has intensified
12:55being here in the city. There's also a creativity. You know, there's inspiration all through and
13:03around New York, not just the city, but even outside of New York. Anything and everything
13:08you want to see or don't want to see, you can find it in the city. You know, there are times
13:17where I'll go to Central Park and I'll sit off, you know, on a bench and I'll just watch people
13:26because I learned by observing. And it's such a beautiful experience to just watch people live
13:33life and develop relationships with each other, either known or unknown in that moment. And
13:42I really enjoy that. And L.A., not L.A. New York City has a lot of characters. I mean,
13:47L.A. has characters too, but New York is full of characters. So also too, one thing I've noticed
13:55is that a lot of seasoned actors, they also on screen, you know, they also
14:03season their chops with Broadway and everything. They kind of go back to theater. I wanted to ask
14:07you, what is the allure of Broadway and what has that taught you as an actor as well too?
14:15There's nothing like live theater. There's nothing like it. I think Felicia Rashad had
14:21said this quote, film gets you the fame, television gets you the money,
14:29theater gets you the street cred. With a good editor, anybody can look like a great actor
14:37on film and television. You know what I mean? But in theater, you can't fake it.
14:44You can try to hide, but people are going to know whether or not you can carry
14:51a full theater and you can capture people's attention, two, three, four,
14:583,000 seat theaters. And not just Broadway, just theater in general.
15:05It's also, I find more collaborative in theater. We're all telling this story together. We have to
15:13lean on each other in this space. And we have the luxury of telling the story over and over and over
15:20again. Whereas film and television, your rehearsal are the takes. And you may build a close
15:28relationship with your fellow cast members, but it just depends on whether or not they're called
15:33that day in film and television. Theater is a bit different and they're different mediums.
15:38But theater definitely has taught me about being in the moment.
15:43It has taught me more about spontaneity,
15:49thinking on your feet, problem solving. And the gift that is theater that can unite people in a
15:57live space, in a shared space. I remember when I did a production of A Christmas Carol at the
16:07Clarence Brown Theater in Knoxville, Tennessee, one of the productions, or one of the shows,
16:12I should say, was the day of the Sandy Hook shooting. I was playing Bob Cratchit. I remember
16:20coming into the theater and I sat in my dressing room and I was looking at CNN and I saw these
16:27bodies carried off in stretchers and I just wept for 30 minutes. And somehow I had to muster up
16:33the strength to be able to go on stage and be exuberant and optimistic about life when I was
16:40witnessing the tragedies of what was happening to this community in Sandy Hook. And I remember the
16:47moment of Christmas Yet to Come and Tiny Tim Doesn't Make It to Christmas. And I watched my
16:56fellow co-star walk away with Timmy's grave and I kept thinking about Sandy Hook. I came on stage
17:08and I could see out of my eye the actor playing Scrooge, David Quartermire, weeping. I had never
17:15seen him weep like that. And we had done this show several times before. I was talking to Timmy
17:23before. I was talking to Johanna Dunphy, who played Mrs. Cratchit. And I had tears in my eyes
17:32and she had tears in my eyes. And in that moment, no one eulogized to the audience. No one projected
17:41or said anything. But you could hear a pin drop in that entire theater. And it was as if in this
17:48moment we are taking a collective breath and a pause for the families and the community
17:58that endured that tragedy. And it was in that moment that I knew the power of theater.
18:06I understood it. I got it. That theater, the collective bodies, has a healing power.
18:13And it started to shift at that moment to be a form of ministry for me. And yes, we do unite
18:23in film. You go see a big movie, Mission Impossible. Everyone's going to go corral
18:27and see the movie. And we'll cheer and shout and scream and cry, whatever the emotions are.
18:34And then we leave. And we can do that around television as well. But theater, it is the sole
18:45purpose in that way. And it's just beautiful. That's the gift of theater.
18:53That's really beautiful, brother. Really, really beautiful, man. I almost got emotional too.
18:58That connection, that live connection too, because there is nothing like it. You get to live in real
19:05time when you're doing that. But in your answer too, you actually brought up Mission Impossible
19:112, which is a huge, huge thing. I think it's the last one, if I'm not mistaken. But how did
19:19that role come about? And can you speak to your excitement
19:22about being able to be part of the Mission Impossible franchise?
19:25I was very excited. Christopher McQuarrie is a huge fan of Severance. And so he reached out
19:37to my team and wanted to have a meeting. And I was glad to oblige. And we sat down while he was
19:46in London. And he told me about Mission Impossible and what they were doing. And he said, I have a
19:52role that may be great for you. And I immediately flipped out. I covered it up. I had to play it
19:59cool. But once I got off the phone with him, I called my team and I was like, y'all, I don't
20:07know how we're going to make Season 2 and Mission Impossible happen, but we got to figure this out
20:12because I'm doing Mission Impossible. And it was such a ride.
20:17Well, I'm definitely looking forward to it. I want to congratulate you, too,
20:21on your PAFF award that you were honored with last month.
20:25Thank you. Thank you.
20:26I wanted to ask you, what does that recognition mean to you? And how do you see your role as an
20:30artist impacting conversations around representation and storytelling?
20:35It's always an honor to be seen by the people in your community. It's always.
20:41And so, you know, as artists, we hustle, we grind. We're out here trying to make things
20:50work and connect and trying to figure things out. And oftentimes, the rooms that I'm in,
20:54they're not a lot of people that look like us. And so if there's an opportunity to connect with
21:01the community through the Pan-African Film Festival, to be seen, to attend and support other
21:07works and filmmakers and artists as well, like, I'm all for it. I think we need it. We are much
21:14a part of this American history as any other storytelling that's out there. And our stories,
21:21our narratives need to be told and uplifted. It's vital. It's important. And we're only
21:29hindering ourselves as a people if we don't continue to support the work that we're doing.
21:38Young Black filmmakers or filmmakers in general.
21:42And I'm sorry, I kind of want to go back real quick. This is I want to actually want to go
21:47back to your character of Milchik. I know a lot of actors, they kind of implement their own sauce
21:55in their portrayals and the people that they're portraying. When you when the character of Milchik
22:02was was brought to your attention, what did you hope to bring to the character when you initially
22:06got the role? Humanity. It was not lost on me that this character could take any kind of shape.
22:17I mean, you look at the breakdown, it was very simplistic. And it's also a character that you
22:22could easily get rid of. I don't know if the creatives thought that Milchik would have the
22:30effect that it does today. You know, I know, you know, he's popping off. And I don't I don't think
22:37that was the intention in this way. But the debate continues about whether or not this guy is a
22:46villain. It continues about who he is, where he comes from, and so forth and so on. But at the
22:55end of the day, it was important that this black man had his story told and that he was a full
23:02fleshed human being and that he was very much integral to the plot of this story. That's what I wanted.
23:12Well, you did a great job with that, my brother. Now, from Broadway to Severance to Mission
23:18Impossible, your career is expanding across multiple mediums. How do you navigate this
23:24diverse range of roles? What excites you most about what's next? Navigating it? Honestly, I just
23:31take it piece by piece, project by project. I am grateful and excited about how my career has
23:38expanded in the way that it has. I'm looking forward to more projects, more stories to tell,
23:44more more people, more lives to touch as well. You know, we'll see what happens.
23:51What's the what's the plans for the 40th birthday, man? You got you got plans yet?
23:56I'm working on it, man. I'm working. If you have suggestions, please send them my way because I'm
24:00trying to figure it out myself. Yeah, mine's coming quick, man. It's just crazy how much time
24:04flies to us. You know, I remember when I was going to elementary school, man, I'll be 49.
24:09So I understand, you know. Yeah, man. All right. Well, happy early birthday. Thank you for speaking
24:16with me. I really appreciate you and I look forward to the rest of the season of Severance
24:20and Mission Impossible and everything you have going on in your career, my brother. Thank you.
24:24Thank you. I appreciate you.