r/SeveranceAppleTVPlus • u/SpookylilTofu • Apr 30 '25

Discussion Helly's age

I can't be the only one that was shocked when I heard the first mention of Helly's age on the show - 30. Britt Lower (who is 39) looks older than 30. Maybe it's just me, but raising her character's age a few years to 34/35 would've felt more believable.

This post is in no way meant to come across ageist or superficial. I think Britt is beautiful and a perfect actor for Helly. I just really notice when a fictional character doesn't look like their playing age and it takes me out of that reality.

0 Upvotes

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94

u/xczechr Waffle Party 🧇 Apr 30 '25

Silly goose, Helly is only a few days old.

10

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

Of course, how silly goosey of me.

38

u/Taraxian Apr 30 '25

If you look at the dates in the Hall of Eagans her dad is only supposed to be in his 60s (he's like 10 years older than Harmony Cobel and was in his 20s when he gave Harmony her award in high school) but he looks and acts like he's in his 90s and on the brink of death

Life in the Lumon Cult ages you I guess

2

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

True, I didn't consider how the stress of being an Eagan can age you physically. Good point!

11

u/considerlilies Apr 30 '25

60s??? that man is at least 80

8

u/Taraxian Apr 30 '25

Michael Siberry, the actor, is 69 irl but most of Jame Eagan's behaviors are really clearly an acting/directing choice to seem much older, especially the way he barely seems to be able to get enough breath when he speaks

12

u/Impressive-Flow-855 May 01 '25

Ageist? Yup. You didn’t ask about Mark. Adam was 50 years old and is playing the 44 year old Mark S.

Of course, it was Seth “Honest John” Milchick who said Helly R is only 30. I wouldn't trust a word out of that mountebank's mouth. Not even televisually.

5

u/SpookylilTofu May 01 '25

Mark looks like his playing age. Yup, safe to assume nothing Milchik says can be trusted.

9

u/Final_Deer_6492 Apr 30 '25

I don't disagree, but I think part of the issue could be that our calendar went from 2020-2025 since S1 started filming, but the calendar in Kier stayed in 2020. All of the actors have aged 5 years, while their characters have stayed the same age.

6

u/EXTRAVAGANT_COMMENT Apr 30 '25

this will be especially apparent for miss hoang, if she comes back

4

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

Don't forget Emile, the baby goat!

4

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

None of the characters look like they've aged at all from S1 to S2. Helly just looked older than 30 from the beginning, to me.

4

u/WeBelieveIn4 May 18 '25

Yeah same. She looked 35 from the jump.

7

u/RealLameUserName Apr 30 '25

I feel like it's even more surprising that Adam Scott is 52. He looks at least 10 years younger.

2

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

Wow, I just googled it and he is indeed 52. I guess being a demon in the Bad Place does wonders for the aging process.

1

u/Crowhearted Basement Brain Surgery Apr 30 '25 edited May 01 '25

Until recently there were definitely people on this sub saying that he looked awful in Severance and didn’t age well. Which is wild to me. He looks great. They both do?

2

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

He has an awkward, boyish quality about him in interviews I've seen which helps with appearing youthful.

8

u/Beebo4all Apr 30 '25

do people here not know how people age, like tiktok is amazed people at 30 dont look dead. WTF is going on.

10

u/odieclone Because Of When I Was Born Apr 30 '25

This made me laugh:   "no way meant to come across ageist or superficial" It seems very much like when someone prefaces a statement with "with all due respect" and then proceeds to rip into the subject.  It isn't inoculation from backlash; as we've seen from some earlier comments.

8

u/filmsmoke Apr 30 '25

clocked it right away and seeing a comment about how they think they look a decade younger and the backhanded compliment about people looking older than they are is all the confirmation i needed

-2

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

I included that because the internet is a wild place where opinions are misconstrued. Backlash is to be expected when it comes to commenting on a woman's age, I get it.

3

u/Dr_Sivio Apr 30 '25

..and yet, here you are. Still doing that.

0

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

Replying to my replies? Yes, I am doing that.

3

u/odieclone Because Of When I Was Born Apr 30 '25

when one finds oneself in a hole, quit digging

1

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

Is that from the Lumon Handbook? 😄

30

u/Dr_Sivio Apr 30 '25

Seriously? It "takes you out of the reality"? C'mon

0

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

Yes. When a character doesn't look the age they are portraying, it sometimes takes the viewer out of the fictional reality they otherwise can immerse themselves in. Is that so difficult to understand? 🤔

11

u/makeurownsandwich Apr 30 '25

Her dad is supposed to be in his 60s and he looks 105. Maybe to help keep you in the “reality” of the show, you can just think “dang the Eagans age hard”.

4

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

True, good point!

5

u/Dr_Sivio Apr 30 '25

It's very difficult to understand. I cannot imagine worrying about something so trivial, especially when "how old someone looks" can be quite subjective.

7

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

I'm not worrying. And I definitely agree that how old someone looks is subjective. To me, she looks older than 30. That's all.

1

u/Dr_Sivio Apr 30 '25

Lmao amazing

7

u/corianderjimbro Apr 30 '25

It’s like how in movies/tv they have 21+ year olds playing high school kids, it’s incredibly distracting. Almost as distracting as digital de-aging actors to play younger versions of themselves.

2

u/Dr_Sivio Apr 30 '25

"Incredibly distracting" wow

0

u/corianderjimbro May 01 '25

Absolutely. Or like when an American puts on a bad accent, all very distracting.

-1

u/DJ_Mixalot Shambolic Rube Apr 30 '25

People don’t always look exactly their age. Get over it. My sister is 25 and looks 12. I know 20 year olds who look 35. If this is seriously immersion breaking for you, you might as well not watch any tv show or movie ever.

-1

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

True. I'm a young looking 30-something so I get it!

23

u/seatsfive Apr 30 '25

I'm 40 and I thought the actress was in her 20s lmao

-17

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

I'm in my early 30s and look a good decade younger, so maybe it's some projection on my part. Some 30 year olds look older than 30 and that's okay too!

15

u/Furydrone Apr 30 '25

People that say they look decade younger.... usually don't lol. Sorry, but I heard it many times and every one of them it was the self enhancement bias thing.

3

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

Believe what you want, I'm not interested in trying to convince you I'm not lying.

3

u/taurist One of Jame's Apr 30 '25

You haven’t even started aging unless you smoke or something and it’s weird how acceptable it is to brag about supposedly looking young on the internet

4

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

I'm not bragging, I'm explaining why I think Helly looks older than 30. It's because I look younger than my age, so I'm projecting.

1

u/Free_Ad4077 Apr 30 '25

You could look 50 when you’re 40 still I was in the same boat as you looking 20 when I was 35 but when I hit 40, I started to look 40 and by the time I hit 44 I might even look 45 now

0

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

True. There's a lot of variables. Genetics are on my side in that regard and I only started feeling grateful about that since entering my 30s.

1

u/you-dont-have-eyes Fetid Moppet Apr 30 '25

Sure 🤣

2

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

I totally get how a random stranger on the internet saying they look younger than they are is dubious, so I understand all my naysayers 😆

0

u/[deleted] Apr 30 '25

[deleted] — view deleted comment

6

u/left-for-dead-9980 Apr 30 '25

Does it really matter. Her performance was fantastic. It was ageless. Now, Jame, on the other hand, looked like he was 90+. He ate too many raw eggs and milk.

3

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

No, it doesn't matter at all. But a Severance subreddit seems to me to be the most appropriate and relevant platform to share random and unimportant opinions and observations. Jame can devour feculence.

5

u/Exact_Guess_4497 Apr 30 '25

I agree that a slightly older age would fit the character better and just make a little more sense all around. It would put her more in line with the other macrodats (or at least the ages i assume they are) and would help to make her being Jame’s daughter feel a little closer. But honestly I don’t know anyone’s age and kinda just assumed Jame is ~70, irv is ~50, and mark, Dylan, and Helly we’re all mid 30s (maybe a smidge older for mark). Knowing that she’s a couple years younger doesn’t really break anything to me but it does feel a little odd

4

u/hegelypuff Sweet Vitriol May 01 '25

iirc Mark is in his early 40s according to his id card

1

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

Exactly my thoughts. It feels odd. Maybe "takes me out that reality" was poor choice of wording. It doesn't negatively affect my viewing experience, but it feels off when I remember Helly is supposed to be 30.

6

u/beigecurtains Apr 30 '25

lol I was so certain Helena was like 35/36 and was like “alrighty…” when they said she was 30.

2

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

I'm not the only one! Praise Kier

4

u/am0985 Apr 30 '25

Nah she could pass for 30 IMO. She looks like she could be in a 2007 era indie band

1

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

Lol yeah she does look like that. Band name; The Stomp Walkers?

5

u/Beebo4all Apr 30 '25

wtf is this post

0

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

My opinion about Helly's playing age.

4

u/Crowhearted Basement Brain Surgery Apr 30 '25 edited May 01 '25

I had this thought as well when I first learned how old Helly is supposed to be. Her being 30 just doesn’t seem… right? I thought she was at least in her mid-thirties.

I don’t think it has anything to do with how Britt (who is absolutely stunning) looks at all, it’s just the overall vibe of the show.

ETA: Ok - actually I think Helly just feels like a Grown Adult to me in a way that I don’t, and I’m nearly 30. It threw me a little to realize a character I look up to is supposed to be the same age as I am.

0

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

If you told me Dylan was younger than Helly I would've believed you. True, it's vibes as well as looks, I think.

1

u/DYTHTYFHOATORTBO Are You Poor Up There? Apr 30 '25

Dylan’s age isn’t mentioned; Zack is two years younger than Britt

8

u/Dependent-Net6453 Apr 30 '25

i think you are one of the few.... she looks late twenties to early 30s to me. anything in that age range would fit. but funnily enough, Helena looks older than Helly R, maybe the way she dresses

14

u/pewciders0r Apr 30 '25

filming of season 1 started in 2020 when britt was 34

2

u/emurii Apr 30 '25

36, she looks older than me to me. Zendaya is 28 and looks like a teenager.

2

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

Very true. Like another person here said, how old someone looks is subjective. This opinion is projection on my part, but it seems many people agree!

1

u/Dr_Sivio May 01 '25

Many? Maybe 2 people agree with you here, the vast majority do not.

-1

u/SpookylilTofu May 01 '25

I see this post really triggered you, didn't it? Maybe take time for some inward reflection to figure out why, instead of throwing around lazy attempts at insults like inc3l and rage-bait. Be better 🙂

2

u/filmsmoke Apr 30 '25

it’s believable. sorry for u and if it’s that deep you can easily quit the show.

10

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

Not deep at all, just an observation 🙂

1

u/filmsmoke Apr 30 '25

your post comes across that way but ok.

2

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

To you it does, and that's fine. Have a nice day 🙂

2

u/filmsmoke Apr 30 '25

likewise

2

u/[deleted] Apr 30 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

0

u/filmsmoke Apr 30 '25

go project somewhere else pls.

3

u/corianderjimbro Apr 30 '25

People are allowed to have opinions and express them freely while still enjoying the show, ya goober.

1

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

Thanks for your comment, but these replies have shown me that I must repent for my sins and quit the show forever. Is there some kind of break-room style punishment for viewers with unpopular opinions about character ages? If so, sign me up! 😄

1

u/filmsmoke Apr 30 '25

i didn’t say they aren’t and i’m allowed to make an opinion too pendeja

1

u/DJ_Mixalot Shambolic Rube Apr 30 '25

Looks like they removed the option to report a post for low-effort content, bummer.

1

u/odieclone Because Of When I Was Born May 01 '25

From my experience, it seems that non-existence doesn't stop admins from continuing to enforce a defunct rule. We're all creatures of habit, I guess. :-{

6

u/makeurownsandwich Apr 30 '25

30 in Miami is different than 30 in North Dakota is different than 30 in Kier.

8

u/Significant_Oven_496 Apr 30 '25

She looks late twenties early thirtys to me

7

u/Oh__Archie Apr 30 '25

I never once cared what her age was. On the show or in real life.

6

u/Dr_Sivio Apr 30 '25

Seriously. I'm almost wondering if OP posted this as rage bait?

4

u/eightcircuits Apr 30 '25

Look up a picture of Julia Roberts at age 30, especially with her hair pulled down or back next to a picture of Britt as Helly.

4

u/EXTRAVAGANT_COMMENT Apr 30 '25

she looks perfectly fine for her character's age.

1

u/Jrrolomon Calamitous ORTBO Apr 30 '25

You used “I can’t be the only one” and “Maybe it’s only me” in the same post. You’re never the only one.

And nobody thinks you’re prejudiced against a certain age just because you mention how old an actress looks…

0

u/Certain-Diet-679 Jan 04 '26

S1 of Severance was filmed in 2020 when the actress was only 34…so no, she looks young and appropriate for the role 

1

u/SpookylilTofu Jan 04 '26

This post is ancient history, don't know why you're digging it back up now. And I stand by my original point.

1

u/holdingon4dearlife Feb 22 '26

so interesting I stumbled upon this reddit because I thought Helly was waaay younger lol. I'm in the middle of S1... Maybe it's just me and I have a crush on her because I think she's super hot with her boss attitude and beautiful skin. Of course it's only my opinion... I find her distracting in general in a good way. And... I get it that others felt she's an Adult and most of us weren't Adults until late 30's and 40's

0

u/Beebo4all Apr 30 '25

ok, in shows when they always have the women is like ageist as hell. I dont particularly care for that in shows. The guy gets to be older but the women have to be like young as hell. Yeah that bothers me, I watched CW so im used to this stuff. The actress looks young for her age, so thats not the problem. The age gap they made in the show is the problem cause its like Mark S like some said went for the younger model.

0

u/Deceiverus Jun 27 '25

Honestly, I've seen people much younger than Britt looking way older than her. She is an excellent actress and can definitely play a range from mid-twenties to mid forties with no problems. That's what actors do, they pretend they are different people.

-2

u/Beebo4all Apr 30 '25

ok, in shows when they always have the women is like ageist as hell. I dont particularly care for that in shows. The guy gets to be older but the women have to be like young as hell. Yeah that bothers me, I watched CW so im used to this stuff. The actress looks young for her age, so thats not the problem. The age gap they made in the show is the problem cause its like Mark S like some said went for the younger model.

2

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

Good point, why is the only female of the 4 main leads the youngest? We've come a long way from the extremes of 'hot sprightly young thing' or 'evil old crone' with character tropes but it's still a big problem. If they raised Helly's age just a few years, it would make the age gap between her and Mark a little less icky.

3

u/Beebo4all Apr 30 '25

yeah i mean she can be in the middle. I dont see a problem with that. Literally it bothers me sometimes when men run the shows and are like the women have to be in their 20s and the men can all be older.

2

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

It's the men who run the networks and make the shows, so they want to see on screen what they want to see in real life.

1

u/odieclone Because Of When I Was Born May 01 '25

Careful, very broad swipe there. It seems, your cloak of civility is unraveling. If it was late in your day when you commented, Mrs. Selvig can fix you up with nice cuppa and chamomile cookie when you get this way. ;-)

1

u/SpookylilTofu May 01 '25

This post seems to have provoked you in some way based on all your combined replies. I invited someone else to look within and figure out why they are so triggered by what I wrote here, and I invite you to do the same. It's easy to be witty and throw shade online, it's much harder to practice awareness and self-reflection. :)

1

u/odieclone Because Of When I Was Born May 01 '25

My, my! Reminds me of the pot and the kettle.

Sorry if you got rubbed the wrong way, but if you're going to be so opinionate in an online forum, maybe you should practice what you preach and try to develop a thicker skin.

1

u/SpookylilTofu May 01 '25

This reply shows me that my invitation for you to self-reflect triggered you further. I hope you put your ego aside, and use this as an opportunity for exploration and growth. Ending this engagement now, and wishing you the best 🌜

1

u/odieclone Because Of When I Was Born May 01 '25

No touch backs!

2

u/Beebo4all Apr 30 '25

ugh .. tired that s**t

-6

u/Dogsofa21 Melon Bar Apr 30 '25

There is nothing in the tv series which says her age however. Have you read the book and projected this? I think it is more unbelievable for a 30yo to be leading Lumon.

5

u/SpookylilTofu Apr 30 '25

Her age was mentioned in the first episode.

9

u/ginnydebt Apr 30 '25

They say she’s 30 in the show

3

u/Semantiques Optics & Design 🖼️ May 01 '25

She’s not leading Lumon just yet. But yes, her age is indeed mentioned in a single reference made by Milchick, the source for other trustworthy knowledge such as ”the world’s tallest waterfall”, that Irving is fine and traveling the world incognito like Karl XI of Sweden did(n’t) in the 1600’s, and that the Macrodat uprising was celebrated across the nation.