Even though he hasn’t appeared on-screen in either season of “Severance,” Ben Stiller has still garnered a reputation as one of the “stars” of the show. He’s had a major hand behind the camera as a director and producer on the series, and his status as a high-profile actor in his own right has bolstered that reputation beyond what folks in production roles typically receive. Despite all that, Stiller has refrained from making any on-screen cameo appearances on the popular Apple TV+ series — though the option was briefly on the table.

In a recent interview with Variety, Stiller and series star Adam Scott discussed various aspects of the show’s production, including “Severance” season 3, which is currently in development. During the discussion, Stiller revealed that there was an idea back in season 1 that he might pop up on camera as a doctor character, but that those plans were eventually scrapped. “We talked about it. There was a storyline that we were thinking about, but it just didn’t feel right,” Stiller told the outlet. “It’s great that I’m not in it. I’m very happy to not have my face on the billboard.”

He clarified that the hypothetical character in question had nothing to do with the very real doctor characters who pop up near the end of “Severance” season 2 as part of Lumon Industries’ mysterious “Cold Harbor” project. However, it’s easy to see how Stiller’s canceled role may have played into similar storylines.

While Stiller seems happy to remain behind the camera on “Severance,” he has leant his talents to the project in a small way. Stiller cameos as the voice of Kier Eagan near the end of season 1, in the sequence where Helly R. (Britt Lower) finally completes her first Macrodata Refinement file. For her efforts, she is graced with a bizarre animated video of the Lumon founder thanking her personally for her hard work.

“I knew you could do it, Helly R.,” Kier says, in a voice Stiller fans will surely recognize if they listen closely. “Even in your darkest moments, I could see you arriving here.” The video quickly devolves into full-on cult mode when the digital Kier tells Helly, “I love you. But now I must away.”

Stiller isn’t the only actor to contribute some portion of Kier’s personage across the show. The strange old man, long dead (as far as we know), looms over the entire series like some dark god, influencing his company’s grim experiments from beyond the grave. Save for the being dead and the whole cult thing, it’s not unlike the role of an executive producer, so perhaps it’s apt that this was the role that convinced Stiller to lend his skills to the on-screen action of “Severance,” albeit just for a moment.