Overview

• The Hollywood Reporter posted Lower's 2019 self-tape of Helly R.'s opening scene, prompting fresh comparisons to the aired version.
• Lower filmed the audition in the bathroom of her Los Angeles home after agent Jo Yao at UTA warned the role was a long shot.
• She enlisted a friend to read Mark S.'s intercom lines and delivered a physical performance vigorous enough to leave black scuff marks on the door.
• The tape led to an in-person callback with creators Ben Stiller and Dan Erickson, where she made Stiller laugh before ultimately being cast.
• Coverage notes the audition tracks closely with her final portrayal, as Severance holds 27 Emmy nominations, including one for Lower.