Severance's Jessica Lee Gagné on making the life-changing leap from cinematographer to director
The show’s DP discusses helming the fantastic episode “Chikhai Bardo.”
Photo: Christopher Saunders/Showtime
Considering its meticulous world-building and visual style, Severance is one hell of a TV show to direct. No one knows that better than Jessica Lee Gagné, the series’ cinematographer since day one. She’s helped creator Dan Erickson and director/producer Ben Stiller bring Severance’s mostly bleak and eerie universe to life. And now she’s forging a new path by helming one of the show’s best—if not the best—episodes yet.
Gagné moves into the director’s chair for “Chikhai Bardo,” an installment that finally tells us what the hell Gemma Scout, a.k.a. Ms. Casey (Dichen Lachman), has been up to. It’s a huge undertaking because episode seven also digs into her relationship with Mark (Adam Scott). Gagné knew her task was to make the audience fall in love with the Scouts just like they have with Mark S. and Helly R. (Britt Lower). The hour is also thrilling, detailing how Lumon has split Gemma into many innies and put her under the care of a nefarious doctor (played by Robby Benson).
It’s safe to say that the pressure was on for the first-time director. The A.V. Club spoke to Gagné about why it was the right time to make this career move, relying on Stiller during the process, and filming that glorious flashback montage in the house she was staying in.
The A.V. Club: What was your reaction after reading episode seven and how did you all decide that this would be your directorial debut?
Jessica Lee Gagné: The first time I read it was in synopsis form, so it wasn’t fully written yet. I read that synopsis on a plane ride from Los Angeles to Montreal. I wasn’t thinking about directing it yet. Anytime it had been brought up or talked about in my life when someone would ask, ‘Do you want to direct?’ I would just say no. But I was going through a very intense personal time and I was studying my subconscious. I was doing a lot of work on myself. Anyway, as I was reading this episode’s synopsis, I had a realization that it felt weirdly linked to me. So when I got off that plane, I told Ben, ‘Okay, I want to do this.’ He had originally told me to direct so it meant a lot to me that he trusted that I could do it. I was able to stop time for a minute and be like, ‘If he trusts I can do it, and if this is all with a crew and actors that I know and people who know me, why am I not letting myself do this?’ I had to look at myself and just say, ‘We’re going to do it.’
AVC: What challenges did you face once you got to the set?
JLG: There were challenges, but a lot of them were from trying to navigate the emotions of the discomfort I was feeling to being as present as possible with the actors, especially the actors who were working on new characters. I had to be there to make sure that the new people would be going in the right direction. I knew I had help with Ben in that sense, which was great because I always knew that if something went off, I had a strong person to bounce back with me. But in terms of the language and that part of directing, it feels like it’s built into me now, having worked on the show [since] season one. So I tried not to question myself too much in that department. It was more the emotional side of it for me and what I was feeling within my body. The biggest challenge was to move through that so I could be with the actors.
AVC: What was the most rewarding scene to shoot?
JLG: The scene of Gemma escaping in the hallways, well, that one went through a lot of changes. It evolved, which makes sense because on Severance we respond to what’s happening in front of us to make the best quality work we can. The sequence of her escaping was always there from the beginning, but it was one in which I wanted to flex a thriller muscle. I had imagined using the set of lights that would turn on when people walked. We had done that in season one as well. Since I knew I wanted that, I told the production designer in advance. We had to plan all the moves. I wanted to film that as a oner initially, but then I realized how tough it would be to deal with the laws of physics. It’s challenging to continuously run after someone in those angular hallways. But we kept it as tight and together as we could, with plenty of rehearsal.