Chatting with ... Britt Lower ’08

What is it like to be an actor on Severance? 

The very first question in the series is, “Who are you?” And I think the show really dives into the themes of identity and who we are in different spaces in our lives. That’s something that we can all relate to.   

I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude about being a part of this collective conversation. This show has hit the zeitgeist in a way that’s touching multiple generations. I often talk to people who are watching the show with their teenage kids. I love imagining that … there are these intergenerational conversations happening about our strange little office.   

Has anything surprised you about working on the show?  

The show has evolved a lot over the years. What’s so cool about doing television is you have this syncopated relationship with the character, taking long breaks and then coming back. And as you evolve, so too does the show and the character and your relationship to the material.  

I’m inspired by my cast and crew. I feel like every character is a group project. I was sitting in hair and makeup one morning, going over a scene, and my makeup artist was reading this book on Carl Jung. Something she said about the book clicked with me about the duality of my characters, Helly R. and Helena, and it totally transformed the way I approached the scene that day.  

I was technical director of WAVE Productions, a student-run theater group. What’s amazing about Northwestern theater is the student involvement in creating a project from page to stage, having a real respect and tactile understanding of what it takes to make something in every department — sewing, picking up power tools, but also flyering and getting people to come see the show. That kind of teamwork is something I really valued at Northwestern, and I’m so grateful I get to keep doing that on Severance.  

What stands out to you from your time at Northwestern?  

The close group of friends I made at school is still my close group of friends. Whenever I’m with them, which is often, there’s this history and a sense of having grown up together.  

There have been several weddings over the past few years, my own included, where Northwestern friends have shown up, and all of a sudden, it’s like we’re all on run crew for each other. It’s like we’re back on the theater board, helping to shape and create these moments with each other.   

They’re truly a chosen family. And I’m so glad that we still get to be a part of each other’s lives. I couldn’t be more grateful.

Left image, Britt Lower '08, left, and Nik Zaleski Delores '08 at their Northwestern graduation. Right image, Lower, left, and Delores at the Emmys in September 2025. Emmy image credit: Sela Shiloni

You recommended Northwestern to your Severance co-star Sarah Bock as she looked at colleges. She’s now a sophomore at the University. What made you think Northwestern would be a good fit?  

I was blown away by Sarah on set, not only by her kindness and ability to adapt quickly to a new environment but also ... how much devotion she put into her work while being in high school, going back to her trailer and doing her homework and applying to colleges. And I just had a hunch that she would fit in, based on my experience at Northwestern and her intense curiosity and openness.  

We were back on campus about a year ago, meeting with students in some of the acting classes, and Sarah and I walked around campus together, and I had a flood of memories. It was kind of like time traveling.  

What lesson from Northwestern has helped you most in your career?  

My acting teacher, Mary Poole ’75 MA/MS, ’87 PhD, really taught us … how to engage with a script in a way that was creative and curious. She used to say, “In the theater, it’s called a play because that’s your job.” At the time, I was a really good notetaker. She called me into her office, looked at my notes and said, “Britt, these are so great, but you’re not allowed to take notes in my class anymore. You’re overthinking this. I want you to just be present.” And it was the best advice she could have given me.  

You’ve performed with a circus, and you wrote, directed and starred in a short film called Circus Person. Can you explain your fascination with the circus? And if you could be part of the circus, which act would it be?  

At a circus, everything is happening in real time. It’s brave. It’s human. And it’s this art form that’s at the same time nostalgic and also always evolving. It’s pushing the limits of what people are capable of, and it always brings me right into the present moment.   

I love the community. “Circus” is Latin for circle. I love being in a circle with others in a kind of family. It brings me joy.   

In the circuses that I’ve performed in, I operate as a ringmaster of sorts, playing my ukulele and interfacing with the audience. But if I had a specific skill, I would want to be a tightrope walker.  

You were valedictorian of your high school class. Could a younger Britt have imagined where you’d be today?    

Absolutely not. My 16-year-old self would be jaw-dropped.   

As a thought experiment at the Emmys, I invited along my 9-year-old self and my 90-year-old self. Anytime I felt overwhelmed by the experience, I’d let them tap me on the shoulder and remind me where I came from and, hopefully, where I’m going, and remind me to really pay attention and savor this extraordinary moment.  

What’s it like to perform with fellow alumni in the improv group Frat Boyz?  

A very dear friend of mine, Philip Markle ’08, is the artistic director of the Brooklyn Comedy Collective. We kicked around the idea of putting together a group of Northwestern people who had done improv in different capacities. It’s a joy to get to do what we were doing while on campus but in this new chapter of life. It makes me so happy to be onstage, standing in the mystery of what’s about to happen with such dear friends.  

We’re still doing shows. It’s sort of a rotating cast of who’s available, but Carly Ciarrocchi ’08, Sarah Grace Welbourn ’09, Nick Kanellis ’07, Peter McNerney ’05, Philip Markle and occasionally other alumni come through. And also Zach Cherry!