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Ben Stiller is — by all accounts, whether that be stories from within Hollywood or simply observing his personality and character — a very good dude. The Severance director recently reiterated that reputation of decency by making the dreams of a woman with Stage 4 Breast Cancer come true.
Earlier this month, a Canadian woman named Emily Powell-Heaton, who has Stage 5 Metastatic Breast Cancer, reached out to Ben Stiller on Twitter — an app he’s extremely responsive on, both about Severance and the New York Knicks — to share her love of the show and ask if there’s any way she could meet the cast and crew.
Stiller responded just a few hours later, asking Powell-Heaton to DM her, which led to a duo of enticing invitations.
Hi @BenStiller! Severance is the best show my husband and I have ever seen. I have stage 4 cancer. A great bucket list item to check off would be to meet you and any of the cast and crew from the show. We can fly anywhere. We live near Toronto, Canada. Would this be possible?…
— Emily Powell-Heaton (@EmilyTNP) March 1, 2025
Last week, Powell-Heaton was invited to a screening of episodes six and seven of Severance season two in Toronto alongside stars Zach Cherry and Tramell Tillman, and cinematographer/debut director Jessica Lee Gagné. Then, later this month, she’ll attend a screening on the season finale in Los Angeles, where she’ll also be treated to a meet-and-greet with the cast and crew, per The Toronto Star.
Thank you @TIFF_NET and everyone involved for making last night such an incredible evening! @BenStiller @TramellTillman @zachcherrygmail pic.twitter.com/38ArGUbOEN
— Emily Powell-Heaton (@EmilyTNP) March 7, 2025
Look forward to meeting you xx
— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) March 5, 2025
“Not only were people saying, ‘This is so great that it’s happening for you,’ but they also would say, ‘We truly wish you well on your cancer journey’ and were paying attention to why I am doing this: how I don’t know how long I have left, whether it’s years or just a couple years,” she told the Toronto Star after the TIFF screening.
“It felt amazing that so many people were so loving and so happy this was happening for me.”
Since premiering in 2022, Severance has become one of the most popular and critically acclaimed series on television. Season two will conclude with its finale on March 21, which was directed by Stiller.