Ben Stiller reveals that it took six months to film the opening scene of 'The Retreat'

For an opening scene that seems pretty flawless, Ben Stiller has revealed that Season 2 of “The Layoff” was the result of months of work.

After the first season ended, the drama series returned after nearly three years for a two-minute feature that appears to take place in one take. However, the reality was anything but smooth.

Many fans wondered where the second season might go, and it started with a bang Adam Scottthe character Mark runs through the corridors of Lumon. Although it seems like it took minutes to shoot, the reality was that they shot it in a few different parts over a few months and then put it all together.

“It was actually filmed in a lot of different parts,” Stiller said CinemaBlend after the show premiered. “I think there were about 10 different parts, and each part usually had different equipment to do it for any given piece. But it was also actually shot over probably five or six months, when we would have different sections of the set ready.

Three years to speculate, fans had three years to try to figure out how the show would return. However, none of them could have predicted that the season would begin with Mark running up and down the halls.

Stiller said the decision “all came from this idea that when Adam and I talked about the season opener, this, you know, this impetus that Mark would have to run and figure out what was going on based on this news he just heard.

The scene was technically difficult to shoot, as the “Night at the Museum” star explained how they used a “bolt arm” to capture his movements. He said the swinging arm was actually “very dangerous” and “a bit scary” for all cast and crew.

“But it was a really fun puzzle to put together with all our department heads working together,” he continued. “And, you know, it was one of those things that took a really long time to finish, and when we got to the end, we were like, 'We finished this shot.' I think we even had a wrap party for the shot.

While Stiller was focused on safety by using a bolt-action lever to film the scenes, actor Adam Scott was concerned about maintaining his stamina throughout those months. He joked that he consumed a lot of Gatorade to run that long, even though the scenes were filmed weeks or months apart.

“As Ben said, it took five or six months to get over it,” he recalled CinemaBlend. “And every time I think we're done with the opening running sequence, someone will say, 'Okay, so for next week, what color Gatorade is your favorite?' (I would) say, 'Oh my God, is there more running?' It's like, “Yeah, there's another part.”

He admitted he was “exhausted” when he finally finished filming all his running scenes, but looking back he thought the process was “a lot of fun”.

In an interview with Entertainment Weeklyauthor, writer and executive producer Dan Erickson admitted to reading the “disgusting” fan theories popping up on Reddit. However, he found that no one has been able to guess everything correctly… at least not yet.

“I love them all, and some of them are weird, but the show is weird, so it makes sense,” he said. “I wouldn't say I've seen anyone get it quite right.”

“We're trying to figure out where it's ultimately going, and I think people are noticing that. 'They said that in Episode 2, and so I bet it's going to pay off that way,' and sometimes it's a little bit in line with what we do,” he continued. “But I don't think I've seen anything where I'm like, 'Oh my God, they got it.' Time to leave the country and change my name.”

“Severance” Season 2 premiered Friday, January 17 on Apple TV+.