Ben Stiller teases ‘Severance’ season 3, Ariana Grande’s role in ‘Meet the Parents 4’
Stiller sat down for a new interview with Zane Lowe
Ben Stiller sat down with Zane Lowe for an in-depth chat about his upcoming projects, which include Season Three of his hit Apple TV show Severance and the fourth installment of the Meet the Parents franchise, which has added Ariana Grande to the cast.
While Severance‘s second season just wrapped, Stiller revealed to Lowe that he and the team behind the show are already thinking about where to take the series for its third season. “Probably the most challenging thing making stuff these days is there’s so much out there: video games, phones, movies, TV, everything,” he said. “To have something that there’s going to be an audience waiting for it and they’re going to be critical and they’re going to be really ready for it and asking questions and you need to make sure it’s good, but they’re there.”
He added that as he’s considering the next batch of episodes, he is asking the same questions he asked while making the first season. “[All of us who are making the show are] going back to that instinct inside. What do we want to see? What interests us? What do we think will be surprising? What do we think will be true to the show? It is a question on a show like this, what is the heart of the show? Is it the relationships? Is it the mystery? Is it what is Lumon up to?”
Stiller keeps any potential plot points close to the chest but added that “human connection” is a big part of what drives the show. “To me, anything that I ever watch, it’s always on an emotional level, when something hits me on an emotional level, moves me, makes me feel connected to the world or to other people in some way, that’s what it’s all about,” he continued. “That’s always been what the point of the show is.”
Another big project Stiller recently announced is Meet the Parents 4, which puts the director and famed comedic actor back in front of the camera. Robert De Niro, Blythe Danner, and Teri Polo are confirmed to reprise their roles in the blockbuster franchise, which will hit theaters in 2026. Ariana Grande will join the cast this time.
“She’s amazing,” Stiller said, praising her role in Wicked. “I can’t really say too much about it, but she’s going to be so great in this movie, and it’s going to be really fun to play with her because it’s a very specific character that she’s playing. I think these movies are all about the family interactions. Everybody wants to get along with everybody, but we all have our baggage.”
Stiller previously commented on the role during a cast reunion on The Today Show, stating that she will be the “whole engine” of the next installment. Later, The Hollywood Reporter divulged that Grande would play the “ball-busting” fiancée to Stiller and Polo’s son in the film.