Where else have you seen Severance's Helly actress before? Here’s all about Britt Lower’s notable work

If you’ve seen Severance, you probably remember Helly R. --- fierce redhead who’d rather die than have another day at Lumon. But Helly isn’t just an employee. She’s Helena Eagan, the company’s heiress!

So who plays Helly and Helena? Brittney (Britt) Leigh Lower. She has now landed an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

She grew up in Heyworth, Illinois, and might seem like an overnight sensation from Apple TV+'s Severance, but she's been stacking credits for more than ten years. Chances are, you've seen her face in places you didn't even realize.

Let's walk through her career, shall we?

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Helly from Severance, aka Britt Lower's TV shows

Lower’s most recognizable TV work came long before Severance.

She first appeared in the CBS procedural Unforgettable (2011) as the young tech assistant Tanya Sitkowsky. But her breakthrough was on FXX’s Man Seeking Woman (2015–2017), where she played Liz. Britt Lower played the sharp sister who grounded Jay Baruchel’s romances.

From there, Lower joined Hulu’s sci-fi show Future Man (2017–2019) as Jeri Elizabeth Lang. She’s also had guest roles on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2019) and HBO’s High Maintenance (2019).

In 2022, she starred in American Horror Stories as Fay Mallow. Around the same time, she appeared in a sketch role on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Of course, nothing tops her role on Severance (2022–2025), where she’s played two versions of the same woman across two seasons!

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Britt Lower's movies

Lower has been a fixture in indie projects, often playing unconventional characters. In Holly Slept Over (2020), she played Audra in a modern relationship dramedy that explored love, marriage, and intimacy.

She starred in the short Circus Person (2020) as Ava, followed by Show Pony (2022). Both roles gave her room to flex her dramatic muscle. Her artsy side came through in the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ 2022 music video for Wolf.

More recently, Lower led the emotional Darkest Miriam (2024). She co-starred in Psycho Therapy: The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer as Suzie, opposite Steve Buscemi and John Magaro.

She'll appear as Rachel Mills in the upcoming miniseries I Will Find You.

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Britt Lower on playing Helly/Helena

Lower’s Emmy-nominated role in Severance stood out as she played two versions of one woman. There was Helena, the ice-cold heiress, and Helly, her rebellious workplace counterpart. In a Vulture interview, Lower said, "She’s waging a war inside of herself within the same body."

She explained that Helly's free will and humor stand against Helena's controlled world, which her father rules. Playing both characters on Severance felt like becoming the "inner child" and the "inner critic" simultaneously.

"There’s a longing for connection she hasn’t had access to," the actress shared. She sees Helly building real connections at Lumon and aches for that. Filming meant constantly switching masks, she admitted --- one moment seeking a parent's approval, the next hiding her true self among coworkers.

For Helly’s scenes, she’d listen to raw Patti Smith tracks. When becoming Helena? Only classical music’s grand, cold sweep would do!

Lower explained that what made the role stand out was how hard it became to tell the truth from lies. Even when pretending to be Helly, Helena genuinely cared as she grew close to Dylan. "There’s a heartbeat in there," she said.

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Watch Severance on Apple TV+.

NEXT: Ben Stiller claims Severance Season 3 will be the best so far