Apple TVDr. Mauer is becoming an increasingly malevolent presence in Season 2 of Severance, but those with good ears should recognize his voice from one of the best animated movies of all-time.
Severance Season 2, Episode 7 introduced an “evil nurse” in the shape of a new character played by comedian and actress Sandra Bernhard.
But we also spent more time with Dr. Mauer, a senior Lumon employee putting Gemma through the wringer in hellish rooms with grim scenarios like always being at the dentist, or permanent Christmas.
Mauer plays different characters in those rooms, and over the course of the episode, his intentions seem increasingly questionable. Which is a world away from the Dr. Mauer actor’s most famous role before his Severance run.
Severance Dr. Mauer actor starred in Beauty and the Beast
Warner Bros.Dr. Mauer is played by Robby Benson, a former child star, who provided the voice of Beast for Disney’s 1991 animated adaptation of Beauty and the Beast.
Benson became a teen heartthrob in the 1970s, thanks to his role in hugely successful melodramas like Ode to Billy, One on One, and Ice Castles. Around that time, he also did a screen-test for Star Wars, but lost the role of Luke Skywalker to Mark Hamill.
The 1980s were something of a fallow period, with Benson starring in multiple movies that failed to make much of a mark. But that all changed when he landed the voice role of Beast in animated classic Beauty and the Beast.
The character starts out as a handsome prince, but selfish behaviour results in an enchantress turning him into a monster, and only the love of Belle can lift the curse.
DisneyWhen speaking to Entertainment Weekly about voicing the character, Benson said: “There’s a rage and torment in this character I’ve never been asked to use before.” While the filmmakers revealed they cast him because “you could hear the prince beneath the fur”.
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The film was a global phenomenon, becoming the first animated movie to gross over $100 million in the US, and the first cartoon feature nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
Benson has done a considerable amount of work behind the camera since then, with his most prestigious gig directing six episodes of Friends. Thanks to Severance he’s now back onscreen, in a role that couldn’t be further from the beloved animated Beast.
Find out when the next episode drops via our Severance Season 2 release schedule, and check out our guides on Asal Reghabi, the Glasgow Block, and the Lexington Letter. There’s another big theory you should read up on too: Helly might be pregnant.