upworthy

Cecily Knobler

Pop Culture

Watch Britt Lower's 'Severance' bathroom floor audition tape to witness foreshadowing of Emmy win

Ben Stiller called her at-home audition tape "the best I've seen."

commons.wikimedia.org

A photo of Britt Lower.

Every so often, an actor is just born to play a role. This seems to have been the case for Britt Lower, who brought so much life and nuance to the part of Helly R. in the Apple TV+ hit show Severance, that it led her to a well-deserved Emmy. But the thing is, she was able to snag the role with an audition that she taped herself in her own bathroom.

Self-audition tapes are becoming more common these days as the industry becomes saturated with movies and TV. But actually standing out in a self-tape is a different story. In black pants and a simple white tee, Lower has the camera trained on her while she lies on the black and white tiled floor. To an unknown voice, she asks, "Hello? Who's speaking?" (that unseen voice is playing the character of Mark S., who is later portrayed by Adam Scott in the actual series).

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Confused, Lower stands up and begins demanding that someone open the door. She kicks, screams, and falls into a breathless heap as she shows off her rebellion against the "cold disembodied voice" who continues to ask questions. It's when her character is unable to recall her name or the state in which she was born that Lower's acting chops begin to shine. Her panic jumps through the lens as though it were completely real. She's able to, with only a camera, a floor and a door, create her own stakes with no gimmicks. She takes her time and pulls the audience in with her long beats.

Executive producer/director Ben Stiller took to X to share her self-tape with these supportive words: "This and @MrEricLange self-tape for Escape at Dannemora are the best I’ve seen. It’s so amazing when you see someone nail a character like that at home. The hard work that goes into it for actors on a daily basis, with no guarantee they will even get a callback."

A scene from the TV show Severance www.youtube.com, Apple TV+

The YouTube commenters take note as well. One suggests that the clip is so realistic, it must have been somewhere in the show: "This isn't an audition tape – this is an alternate universe Severance which is shot as found footage! Britt deserves all the hype."

Others point out her true commitment, even at the expense of a paint job: "Just destroyed the paint on that door. That's commitment."

This person shares, "Masterclass in self-tapes. She embodied Helly perfectly & left an impression on anyone who watches this. So happy she gets to be our Helly R."

There are threads dedicated to the self-tape on Reddit. From a production point of view, this Redditor shares, "Yeah, the set design, props, costume, and hair and makeup people all do a hell of a lot to make your job easier, but if you're a pro you absolutely cannot rely on them to do your job for you -- you need to be able to transport yourself to a bizarre otherworldly place when you're just standing in some mundane basement in front of a green screen and not let it show how dumb and awkward the whole thing feels (at least until the camera is off.)"

The tape, of course, led her to callbacks and eventually the role of the unhappy Lumon Industries employee. As a nod to the ever escape-attempting Helly, Lower had the words "LET ME OUT" written on the back of her exquisite Emmys acceptance speech.

At the backstage press conference, Lower was asked about the leaked audition tape. She proudly revealed an interesting tidbit.

"Yesterday, we were at an event and one of the waitresses came up and said that they had watched my audition tape in their acting class a couple of days ago," she said. "It brought me a great sense of pride and I hope it was helpful. I like that it's out in the world. I hope it's inspirational or just helpful in some way."


From Your Site Articles
severance
Pop CultureTelevision
Fashion

Proud goth man compares striking side-by-side photos of himself between ages of 18 and 48

“We do improve with age, don't we?"

Photo Credit: Reddit, Hemlox76

A man shows his goth fashion at 18 and at 48.

There is something about the music we connect to when we're young that beautifully helps shape our identity. We want to scream from the rooftops, "This is how I feel!" but we so often can't. Luckily, clothes and accessories can do the proverbial screaming for us. Often, it's written off as a moody teenage phase (and sometimes it is), but for some, it's an absolute vibe that becomes a part of everyday life all the way to the end.

And so, when a man took to the subreddit r/goth to show off HIS goth look from teen to middle-age, many rejoiced. The OP writes, "Fashion Friday: 'It's not just a phase, mom' 18 vs 48 years old." Under this is a split photo. On one side is the 18-year-old version of himself, hair slicked back, eyes full of dramatic dark liner and shadows. He's in all black (natch) with a Nosferatu t-shirt tucked into leather (or possibly pleather) pants. One hand is tucked into said pants, while the other dramatically holds up a glass—his body tilted in the ultimate cool pose, as he shows off his black nail polish.

On the other side is the now 48-year-old version. He wears a black sleeveless The Sisters of Mercy band shirt showing off lots of tats and an intense stare under his tiny glasses. Under the photo, he writes, "Less hair but more tattoos, and at least I don’t have to pose in my parents’ backyard anymore :)"

Goth music, The Cure, Gothic, fashion, style A man posts a photo of himself at 18 and at 48 showing off his goth looks.Reddit, Hemlox76

Upworthy had a chance to speak to this Redditor and when asked if he still feels the "goth vibe" that he did as a teen, his answer was enthusiastically , "Oh hell yeah I do!" He added, " I keep my look pretty toned down for work ( corporate gothic, sort of), but still go all out when going to concerts and stuff like that."

The comments under the post are undeniably goth in nature. The first immediately references death when they write, "Looking stylish in both pics. I'm currently 33. Goal is to be buried in goth attire." The OP replies, "Well, a black suit is usually standard :) Myself, I’d go for just a hole in the ground in the woods and an ash tree planted over me if that was legal over here."

This commenter explains how their music influences brought them to the goth lifestyle. "Heh. I came by mine honestly. Dad likes Black Sabbath and science fiction/fantasy, Mum likes Steeleye Span, Edward Gorey and gothic novels. Their kid likes all of it, plus goth rock and power metal. They thought it was weird when I was a teenager, but now that I'm an adult we go to shows together and my mum buys me black lace and darkly themed vintage :)"

And this kind Redditor compliments the OP: "You aged like a fine wine brother. And your hair colour now suits you. Granted I was 4 when the first pic was taken, but yum to both."

Goth guy explains how goth fashion emerged from the music. www.youtube.com, Jake Munro

The goth vibe, in music, clothes or all-around attitude, started gaining in popularity in the late 70s, as a term to describe atmospheric post-punk bands. The term got thrown around a bit, but the overarching idea is music and clothes that are dramatic, moody, and emotional. To paraphrase an old adage, "I'll wear black until they find a darker color," certainly applies. Both musically and in appearance, think Robert Smith, the front man for the English band The Cure.

The official music video for Pictures of You by The Cure. www.youtube.com, RHINO

The whole mood is steeped, at least in attitude and clothing, in Gothic literature which goes way farther back than just the 1970s. Moody heartbreak and even mysterious horror were romanticized in books like Frankenstein and Dracula. It was cool to be sad, and beautiful to be heartbroken.

And even though the goth baseline might appear dark, the Reddit thread illustrates that its community is often like a tight-knit family—with great taste in music AND clothes.

From Your Site Articles
goth
FashionPop Culture
Joy

Nate Bargatze expertly explains 'Xennials' and why they can't quite relate to other generations

If you've ever felt like you're too old to be a Millennial and too young to be Gen X, this is for you.

commons.wikimedia.org

Nate Bargatze performing stand-up.

There's the Boomers, the Millennials, Gen X, and now the Xennials. Never heard of Xennials before? You're not alone! It just so happens, the term Xennial first appeared in an article for GOOD Magazine by writers Sarah Stankorb (who coined the term) and Jed Oelbaum. It was described as "a micro-generation that serves as a bridge between the disaffection of Gen X and the blithe optimism of Millennials." Other unique terms have come to describe this group (roughly figured to have been born between 1977-1983.)

These include The Star Wars Generation, The Oregon Trail Generation, and Generation Catalano, (the latter suggested by Slate writer Doree Shafrir in reference to Jordan Catalano on the hit 90s TV show My So-Called Life.).

During his recent Netflix is a Joke special, comedian Nate Bargatze gave us the reasons Xennials are truly awesome and unique. Here are a few hilarious takeaways from Nate's bit on the topic:

Growing up as a young kid felt safe.

nate bargatze, nate bargatze special, millennial , xillennials, best comedian, millennial humor Kids playing outside, nary a care in the world. Photo credit: Canva

"When I was a kid, it felt like the 50s. You'd go outside and your parents just didn't know where you were. We went to school to school and played Oregon Trail on a computer at school! No one had a computer at home - it's like what are you a Zillionaire?"

They still had privacy.

While Nate confirmed he got AOL, a home computer, a beeper and a cell phone in high school, he didn't have social media until he was 26 with Myspace.

nate bargatze, nate bargatze special, millennial , xillennials, best comedian, millennial humor Be honest, how cringey was your AOL screen name? media4.giphy.com

"Whatever I did in high school is a rumor. It can't ruin my life!"

You are equally impressed and disappointed by other generations.

On a hotel stay, the Chromecast on his TV stopped working so he called the front desk. "The oldest voice I ever heard answers the phone. This guy was a Civil War survivor. I mean, he was the age where you just go 'Thank you for your service.' So I tell him my Chromecast is not working and I could have just made up a word. I mean, he's never heard of that. I could have said 'My beep bop broke.' He goes, 'Look, I don't know what this is. But there's a younger guy, I'm gonna send him up, he'll be able to help you."

A guy shows up, Nate mused, and he's "his dad's age." Nate immediately determined that if he can't fix it, this guy can't either. "But he's the generation that still wants to give it a try. So he comes into my room, sits on my bed, just a little too far back, I thought."

He then said the guy grabbed the remote and just started pressing everything. Nate suggested, "I'm gonna turn the shower on, open a window, let's try everything!"

The "pressing all the buttons" tactic shockingly doesn't work. Nate shared that the guy finally says, "Alright, there's a younger guy. He's about to come to work. And at this point, I'm like 'I'm the younger guy, man. It's alright dude, I don't need it.' And he goes, 'No, no, no, it's a Millennial." And I was like 'Alright, now we're getting somewhere. This is what the Millennial does. He was born with technology, he's gonna know how to fix this!"

So the guy said the Millennial will arrive to work in an hour. And Nate quipped, "Let me tell you. You know how quick that Millennial fixed it? Well, I'll never know because he just didn't come to work that night."

And guess who relayed this message. "I found out because the old guy called me. He was supposed to fill in for him. He was furious, dude. He hates that Millennial. He goes 'He never comes to work. He doesn't take it serious. He's got a peanut allergy.'"

In the end, it took a Xennial to figure it out. "I ended up fixing it myself, because it was just unplugged. So that's yeah…that's my fault."

Watch the full bit below:

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Just like Generation Jones, Xennials have unique qualities that don't necessarily fall in to either surrounding age group. If you tend to not really relate to your prescribed generation, it might be worth seeing if you relate more to those lesser known age groups in between.

This article originally appeared in February

From Your Site Articles
comedy
JoyHumor
Wellness

A woman over 50 turned her van into a serene 'tiny home' and has lived in it for 3 years

"I needed my soul to heal."

Photo by Leo_Visions on Unsplash

A van in the desert.

Sometimes, when life gets too complicated, we need to slow down and get smaller. This was the case for Lori Losch, who woke up one day, post-50-years-old, and decided it was time for a change.

As she explains in a video posted to the Tiny Homes YouTube channel, "I decided to do 'van life' for a couple of reasons. One was to heal from some pretty traumatic life events. And the other was to find a smaller town to move to, to be able to interview small towns as I traveled."

Losch reveals on her website that she battled addiction for a quarter of a century. "I’m a soul who finally broke free from the addiction cycle after a 25-year battle. I used the pain of powerlessness, acute anxiety, and bouts of deep depression to point me towards truth and freedom." After leaning into 12-step programs, psychedelic plant healing, faith, and relying on her community, she shares she has truly learned what it is to be alive.

Part of that is traveling, and this is something she likes to do on her own terms. So, she custom-designed a van to feel like a "tiny home" where she lives, works, travels, and heals. She even bought a custom curtain to separate the front area (where the driving happens) from the back so that it feels less like an RV and more like a home.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

On her tour, she first shows the viewers a swivel desk. "It's been an amazing feature, this lagoon table." It serves as her office when she's talking to clients, but also as a hub if she just wants to sip a latte or watch a movie on her laptop with her dog by her side.

She designed her kitchen so that her sink would have a big window view, which changes daily. "I wanted to have a lot of counter space and also the butcher block creates just warmth in the van." Of the large sink, she loves that she can wash her 11-pound dog Tessa in it. Her tiny fridge/freezer is "low volt," above which she has organized food storage. "You learn how to live just much more minimally, but I cook great food in this little kitchen. You know how they say three-point kitchen? Well, this is a one-point kitchen and it's perfection."

Losch also notes that when you scale down to just the essentials, you might find greater value in those things. She alludes to having had large homes in the past, one with "1500 books." Now, she simply has the books she's reading or plans to read. "When I'm done with them, they move on to other people." (The books incidentally hide the interior antenna for her "weBoost system," which helps boost cell service "when you're in a dodgy spot.")

books, cozy corner, design, van life, travel An open book sitting on top of a table next to a candle. Photo by anotherxlife on Unsplash

The bathroom is incredibly innovative, but, ironically, she found she didn't need much of what was built. She points out that while she has an exterior shower, she thought she wanted an interior shower, as well. And although she has a super cool setup wherein she flips a little table over and puts up a shower curtain, she prefers showering outside. As for the toilet, "I got a Cassette Toilet. It's like the best thing you can buy and I've never put my butt on it." She continues, "I climb a lot of mountains. I'm mainly out in nature, and nature is fine." Instead, she uses the area for laundry and storage and claims, "I roll with it cuz it's here. I use it for something different than I anticipated."

Her bedroom is cozy and, though she designed it like a little cave, it has a small window too. She got a ten-inch foam mattress set up at the back of the van, and the doors hinge out. She shares, "When I'm backed onto a lake or a river, I open up both doors and they hinge 270 degrees. That was super important to me. So I'm just up here, room with a view—it's awesome."

lake view, van life, outdoor living, mental health, travel A lake surrounded by mountains. Photo by clement fusil on Unsplash

Every design decision came with a lot of research and intentionality. She has an AC and diesel heating system, which she explains, "...Uses your fuel. It pipes out from under the passenger seat into the van and takes about two minutes, literally, to heat this place up." She also meticulously built a garage that houses the electrical features. "I went with 300 solar watt panels on the roof and they charge 400 amp hours of lithium battery. And I've got a DC to DC inverter, so when you're driving the van, it's also charging."

She explains, "A question I get asked often is 'Why? Why the van? Why tiny living?' And I think for me, my life was always fairly contained. I liked to live below my means. I didn't like a whole lot of extravagance and waste. Then I got married and I found myself with someone who was extravagant in a lot of things, with multiple homes. When I came out of it, it's like the pendulum had to go way back this way for my soul to heal."

Losch shares her end game is to "find a piece of land" to build on and be self-contained. And though people tell her that her van is small, she says it's not about the size of the van, "It's about where the van takes you."

The comments, and there are over a thousand, buzz with support. One person writes, "I don't know which is more beautiful—this lovely woman, or the peaceful home she has created. Wonderful video, and I wish her healing and happiness in her travels."

So many seem to relate to her need for repair after addiction and are inspired by the idea that one can change their life at any age. "What a gorgeous woman! She is over 50—let that sink in... Oh, and the van is lovely—kudos to her!"


From Your Site Articles
tiny home
WellnessHealth
Trending Stories