INTERVIEW
Hannah George | 29/03/2025
Although incredibly shy, like many of us, Tramell started performing at a young age, finding excuses to put on a show. Hearing Tillman recall these fond, playful childhood memories reminded me of times spent giggling with my friends at the lounge door, preparing to put on a show-stopping performance, to the dismay of our relatives forced to endure painfully long renditions.
Tramell tells me these playful performances as a child were where his passion for performing began. "I was born into a family of performers, you know, and while we didn't have a physical stage, we always found a way to perform for each other in a very colourful way. There were always talent shows that were happening that the kids had to put on for the adults. There were fashion shows and Easter speeches that the kids had to give. So, there was always an opportunity for us to perform for an audience, anybody who wanted to watch or listen."
Despite his childhood passion, acting as a career never felt in reach for Tilman. "I was told at a young age I would never make it as an actor; it frightened me and stayed with me." Tramell's childhood passions and imaginative play through acting extended into adulthood through his acting career. However, this was not a clear trajectory, with Tillman exploring a multitude of career endeavours prior to acting.
'I told myself I was going to be a doctor. I was fascinated by science. Then, there was a time in my life when I wanted to be a storm chaser because I love learning about the elements: storms and thunderstorms and tornadoes and earthquakes. I was fascinated by the body, specifically the skeletal structure, which felt like a piece of art to me, so I said I would become an orthopaedic surgeon. I studied health and human services in high school. I got into Xavier University in New Orleans. I was doing well in school and better academically than my classmates, who are doctors now, but it wasn't something that spoke to me. It felt I was doing something because I was told to do it. I always admired the joy and light I would see in the eyes of my classmates, who enjoyed learning about nomenclature and balancing equations, and I wanted to find that joy for myself.'
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Tramell's career transition is one that I hold the utmost respect for. It takes immense courage to prioritise finding "the thing that lights your fire". Even more admirable is that Tramell gave himself the time and space to navigate what that meant for him. Too often, society—whether it's schools, communities, or even family—pressures us to choose a career path in our teens or early adulthood and stick to it, regardless of whether it genuinely feels like our calling. There's this "suck it up and deal with it" mentality that Tramell has gracefully rejected. His journey is a reminder of the power of choosing authenticity over conformity.
Tillman discusses these initial drawbacks to pursuing acting, stating, "I grew up in PG County, Maryland, which at the time, was one of the richest Black counties in America, and excellence was the name of the game across the board. There were a lot of teachers, administrators, and managers; the middle class and upper middle class, so there weren't a lot of professional performers within reach that I could connect with."
These drawbacks were heightened further by the "acceptability politics" of the 80's. Tillman is honest about how growing up Black in Maryland affected his initial career trajectory. "Growing up in the ‘80s and ‘90s, there were acceptability politics; being excellent and Black were very important. We could not be mediocre. We could not make mistakes, and now, that has changed. There's room for us to be and exist, but back then, there was no room for error."
Tramell also points out the privilege of choosing your path, highlighting the generational differences in how success is defined and what should be prioritised. He explains how he intentionally put himself in a position to make that choice, showing that his career transition was about redefining success on his terms.
"My parents, they were of a different fabric – you did what you could to get along, to be able to provide for your family, and what they instilled in me was to be able to put myself in a position where I could choose, if I had the option. I had to go back and find the thing that lit my fire, and it took me a long time to get there. I bounced from career to career. I went to advertising, I went to public relations, I did non-profit management, and none of it fit. Eventually, I gave in and followed my dream, and that, in itself, is its separate journey. I decided to graduate from the University of Tennessee and go to New York, pounding the pavement for 10 years. There were many times I wanted to give up, but I'm so glad I did not."
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Reflecting further on his early adulthood particularly, Tillman says, "I didn't have the opportunity to get to know who I was as a person. I didn't have the luxury because, for me, everything was about survival. It was about getting through the next day."
Again, Tillman rejects the idea that life is linear and must have it all figured out in our 20s, or else we've failed. But frankly, Tillman opens up a discussion about the reality for most people: your 20s are often more about survival than exploration. Very few are afforded the ability to dive headfirst into the career of their dreams. Pursuing a career in the arts is risky and requires stability. It's so refreshing to hear this from Tramell, unveiling the realities of pursuing a creative career - realities that are often brushed over.
"I know what it's like looking at your 20s and thinking, Are these the best years of my life? Because that's often what I heard about our college years. This is going to be the best time of your life! But the best years of my life are right now because I've given myself the freedom and the time to learn about who I am, to develop boundaries, to develop more fruitful relationships, and to be able to go after those projects that I want to tackle even down to those simple details. We don't realise how much power there is in that."
I could not end the interview without asking Tillman more about Severance. Delving into the creative process and the collaborative team behind the hit TV show, Tillman had this to say.
"In the world of Severance, there's not much wiggle room when it comes to lines. I appreciate the structure established with the show because Milchick's language is particular. There are now a bunch of iconic memes about Milchick's diction, right? So, I'm glad I wasn't given the complete creative freedom to fly off the cuff and say whatever because it would have ruined this beautiful tapestry Milchick embodies with his language. Saying that, if there are ideas we have about the character or the trajectory, there are spaces where we can share, and they'll take it under advisement and continue communication. There are other times, especially in plays, where you don't have that luxury because it's the written word. The playwright's not in the room; you must go by what is written. Fortunately, I've been in spaces where there has been creative freedom. That comes with trust; the directors, producers, and fellow cast members – we all have to trust each other.
I am drawn to this futuristic notion of developing agency over one's memories. It was a popular trope in the early 2000s, with movies like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and, as Tillman mentions, The Butterfly Effect, released in 2004. Severance has expanded on this idea of memory and its relationship to control while also exploring what it says about the human condition—the desire to fantasise about controlling one's memories. Tillman recalls a personal anecdote related to this matter.
"It was called The Butterfly Effect, with Ashton Kutcher. It talked about how it affects the rest of your life if you could change one detail of your past. I think about that all the time when it comes to my past and the decisions I made, the doors I went down, jobs I took, the people I've decided to hang out with, or the people I decided to date, whatever the case may be. I often think, if I did this instead, how would that have changed the trajectory of my life? Would I be where I am today? I believe the events in my life happened for me to get to where I am today, but would I want to go and relive it? Probably not. I think if I went and relived it, I'd have more information now than I did, then I'd probably have done it differently, and if I had done it differently, I might not be where I am now, so for me, it's been a big lesson in trusting the process. All of these moments of discomfort have led to my growth, strength as a human being, and character, so I wouldn't want to erase my memories."
Tillman adds that the tropes and themes explored in Severance reflect the human psyche and mental health—grounded in the human urge to seek respite from our often tormenting emotions.
'I've dealt with depression; I think that's something that never really goes away. It's just a part of my life now, and I do what I can to establish a peaceful lifestyle. I've committed to sobriety, and I'm six years sober, and that has made a remarkable difference in my life and the choices I make in my life; there's so much clarity. One of the perspectives I have about the severance procedure is the allure of it. It gives people a break. Specifically with Mark, we see this man is grieving heavily over the loss of his wife, and this procedure allows him to be productive in a space where he ordinarily wouldn't be productive. It speaks to the human condition because we go through turmoil, pain, heartache, and heartbreak, and sometimes there is no relief. We feel there are no resources available to us to be able to pause the pain for just a bit, and I resonate with that completely. I believe this story speaks about mental health. It's truly been an ongoing journey for me to learn what works, discover the environments that are better suited for me, and embrace being alone. Also, I understand with all of the attention I'm receiving around the show, while it is beautiful and humbling, sometimes it can be a lot; heavy to process. So, it's important for me to put myself in a position where I can pause, meditate, breathe; because we're smarter when we breathe. In doing so, I prepare myself for the next leg of the journey."
Photographer Bri Elledge @brielledgephotography
Styling Kirsten McGovern @kirstenmcgovern
Grooming Aziza Rasu @aziza.rasu
HATC Creative Alice Gee @alicesgee
Digital Tech Brian Von Glahn @bvgdigital
1st Assistant Michael Olvier @mikeost
2nd Assistant Joe Kunesh @kuneshstudios
Retouching Retouch Concept @retouchconcept
Jill Fritzo Public Relations @jillfritzopr
Rosevale Kitchen + Cocktail Room @rosevalekitchen @rosevalecocktailroom
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