“Severance”'s Tramell Tillman Says His 'Fantastic' Costar Patricia Arquette Is 'Terrifying' When in Character (Exclusive)

Patricia Arquette's icy portrayal as Ms. Harmony Cobel doesn't just have Severance fans shaking in their boots. One of her costars, Tramell Tillman, completely understands the feeling.

Opening up about whether he gets scared or nervous seeing the Oscar winner in character on the Apple TV+ thriller's set, Tillman tells PEOPLE: "I do. I do. She is terrifying!"

"But it's also such a joy to watch on set and play alongside," the Sweethearts actor, 39, continues. "She's fantastic, and some of my favorite scenes with her. Or, with most of the people in our cast, is really when I don't have any lines and I  can just sit and watch them work. It's such a delight."

Related: Patricia Arquette Jokes a 'Little Inner Cobel Comes Out' of Her, 'Wants Me to Lie' Between Takes on Severance Set (Exclusive)

Tillman, like Arquette, also plays a character with a layer of mysteriousness.

Fans first meet Tillman's Seth Milchick as a supervisor on Lumon Industries' severed floor, who also serves as Ms. Cobel's right-hand man. But in season 2, Milchick has taken over Ms. Cobel's floor manager job and a child — a.k.a. Ms. Huang (Sarah Bock) — has assumed his old position.

"He's a mystery. I believe what works with him is that the mystery is unsolved at this point, and I'm enjoying that particular point," he says of his character. "I think we learn a little bit [of his backstory in season 2], but it's going to be well within the brand of the show. Everything we learn will lend itself to more questions."

Before returning to the Severance set to reprise his role as Milchick, the actor says he "rewatched season 1" to help him get back into the mindset of his character.

"I think rewatching the work, rereading the scripts, continuing to have conversations with [series creator] Dan [Erickson], with [director] Ben [Stiller] about where Milchick goes in the new season was really helpful. Any ideas that I had to really craft more meaning for him was also really impactful."

Related: Ben Stiller, Adam Scott and Other Severance Crew Share the Unexpected But 'Really Fun' Ways They Bonded Off Screen (Exclusive)

Though the show deals with difficult subject matter, Tillman does note that the cast and crew "try to keep it jovial when we can, but there's a seriousness, there's a focus" on set.

"The content is so heavy and there's a lot of paranoia when it comes to the characters that we're embodying and who to trust, who not to trust, how to control, who to listen to. It's still very much alive," he shares. "So many people that have touched this show, especially our craftspersons, our props and illustrators and designers,  they're passionate about it. So, you feel that there is a sense of focus on set, 100%. But we do, we like to have a good time."

Outside of work, Tillman does share one thing in common with the Lumon Industries Innies: he's also "trying to figure out my work-life balance, and it is not happening," he admits.

"It's hard. And I'm a person who enjoys working because the work for me does not feel like work. It's passion, it's love. I love what I do, and I just want to keep doing it and keep, [for] lack of a better word, working," he continues. "But you also have to find time for family, and friends, and for yourself, and vacations, and things of that nature"

"One of the things that I have done is put myself on a vacation plan where every year I take a trip internationally. And so far, I've been doing really, really well. And that keeps me focused on doing things that I like to do and exploring new cultures and cuisines and just getting lost in a new city," he adds.

Related: Severance Season 2 Review: Apple TV+ Thriller Goes Deeper, Darker and Wilder — and What's with All Those Baby Goats?

Tillman's acting aspirations are something he can credit to his mother, who allowed him to realize his love for the art form as he was struggling to overcome shyness at a young age.

"It's amazing," he says. "I wake up in the morning so grateful that I get to do what I love to do. I remember as a kid, not even imagining that I would be at this place that I'm in right now."

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New Severance episodes arrive Fridays on Apple TV+.

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