Ahead of his new film Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, the Severance star reflects on his career journey and opens up his archive to L’OFFICIEL.&nbsp;

As a shy kid growing up in Largo, Maryland, Tramell Tillman never imagined he’d end up on some of the world’s biggest stages or starring in projects like Severance, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning. “I was very afraid to pursue my dream of acting and performing,” says Tillman, 41. His father emphasized academics and instilled in him a love of reading; his mother was “adamant” that her son get involved in the arts and signed him up for a Christmas play at church. “When the bug bit, I just wanted to do more of it. I knew I wanted to chase this dream as far as it would let me.”
His path to Hollywood wasn’t linear. “I’ve bounced around from career to career,” says Tillman, who spent more than a decade in nonprofit management before pursuing acting professionally. “Working in the nonprofit space [made me realize] that I don’t have to forsake my passion for community involvement, philanthropy, and preserving humanity just because I’m an actor. That’s part of the fabric of who I am.” He’s also learned the power of storytelling: “We bring people together for good or bad, whether they laugh or cry, love the movie or don’t.” That’s one of the biggest takeaways from Severance, the Apple TV sci-fi series that propelled Tillman into the spotlight and earned him a 2025 Emmy and a 2026 Critics Choice Award. When he first auditioned as Seth Milchick, the chillingly unflappable supervisor at Lumon Industries, Tillman “just took a shot.” During his callback, “I remember making [executive producer and director] Ben Stiller laugh, and I said, Oh, well, that’s a win.” Now filming Season 3, Tillman is relishing Milchick’s evolution from cheerful corporate henchman to increasingly disillusioned middle manager. “As he was elevated, he started to learn more about the truth of Lumon,” he says. “He’s also understanding the weight of leadership, which can be a very lonely place.”
Loneliness is a feeling with which Tillman is familiar. Long before fame—which has brought “dramatic shifts” in how he navigates social spaces and, with frequent travel for work, “can get very isolating”—he was living in Oregon and performing in regional theater when he bought a 25th-anniversary edition of Dr. Seuss’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go! for his 30th birthday. “My career was a little stuck, and the book really speaks to how you’ll spend time alone,” he says. “You’ll go out and have amazing adventures, but you’re going to have to make decisions, go down routes, and no one else is going to be there. You have to trust the knowledge you’ve gained over the years. I still hold on to that lesson: keep going and trust yourself.”

The book remains one of his most cherished possessions, alongside a sterling silver ring and bangle bracelet from Tiffany &amp; Co. that he bought in 2024 to mark five years of sobriety. “It takes a lot of discipline to choose myself every day, and these pieces are a reminder of that—as well as the fact that I’m not the only person on this journey,” he says. The bracelet is reminiscent of one he’s coveted since his first church play. “I remember my pastor had a bangle on his wrist, and I told him I liked it,” he laughs. “He was like, Yeah, it’s expensive.”

Tillman’s journey has led him back to the kind of Yuletide magic that first sparked his love of acting. He’ll star as the Ghost of Christmas Present alongside Johnny Depp, Ian McKellen, and Daisy Ridley in Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, out November 13. “It’s a wonderful full-circle moment,” says the star, who will also appear in Lena Dunham’s Netflix rom-com Good Sex and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s upcoming film adaptation of Octet. Through it all, Tillman stays rooted in what matters most. “It’s really grounding to hang out with my friends and just be human,” he says. “It reminds me that there’s so much more than what’s in my bubble.”

How Tramell Tillman Learned to Trust Himself

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