This post contains minor spoilers for Severance season two’s premiere concerning a cameo by a famous celebrity, so unless you are severed, watch the episode if you’re hoping to avoid them.
Keanu Reeves’ Severance Season 2 Cameo, Explained
Whoa. We were not expecting that! And by that we mean basically everything that happened in Severance‘s season two premiere. But in this specific case, we’re talking about Keanu Reeves’s unexpected voice cameo in Severance season two, episode one. Did you miss it? We wouldn’t blame you if you did, and not just because he wasn’t listed in the end credits. It’s because while he certainly sounded like himself, the John Wick stars’ performance came during one of the episode’s most ludicrous moments. Keanu Reeves played the claymation Lumon building during that absurd new employee welcome video.
Keanu Reeves Voices the Lumon Building in Severance Season 2
The Innies are back at Lumon. Why or how we don’t exactly know, but we do know the company is claiming to take the “Macrodat Uprising” very seriously. Lumon has implemented major reforms to its severed floor. And if you doubt Mr. Milchick’s sincerity, he has a new Innie orientation video that should definitely put you at ease.
That hilarious piece of corporate propaganda is a Rankin/Bass-style claymation video explaining why four severed workers broke out of their office world. It’s a story of anger, inspiration, and love told by an animated version of the 501 branch building, which also mentions it’s the original Lumon headquarters Kier Eagan built.
A building so important clearly needed a star to voice it, and Severance got one of our favorites. Severance has yet to officially admit it, but they nabbed Keanu Reeves to bring the Lumon building to life. And Reeves delivered a pitch-perfect performance as a literal building full of smiling monsters. As did his Water Tower, played by Saturday Night Live‘s Sarah Sherman. (The episode did name her in the end credits.)
Could Keanu Reeves Appear Again in Severance? (As a Person and Not as the Lumon Building)
If this is the only time either of them ever appear on Severance, we won’t complain. Keanu Reeves as the voice of the Lumon building is better than no Keanu Reeves at all. But we’re also excited by what these voice cameos could mean. Keanu Reeves and Sarah Sherman both work for Lumon in Severance. The company trusts Reeves’ unseen, unnamed character enough they let him recount the Macrodat Uprising, a story Lumon isn’t actually thankful for.
Could we someday learn that Keanu Reeves is a high-ranking employee of the world’s most evil company on Severance? We certainly hope so. But if he’s just playing a voice actor, and we get more videos of him as the voice of the sinister Lumon building, that’s fine, too.