Canadian director behind ‘Severance’ episodes learned of Emmy nominations while at a hardware store

Concordia University grad Jessica Lee Gagné speaks about directoral debut for the 'Chikhai Bardo' episode of Severance.

A unique lens courtesy of a Quebecer, Jessica Lee Gagne, is behind episodes of the hit dystopian American thriller, “Severance,” showing on Apple TV+.

Now, the cinematographer and director who earned two nominations, waits to hear if her name will be called as the winner at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 14.

She’s the first woman to be simultaneously in the running for an Emmy for outstanding cinematography for a series and for outstanding directing for a drama series in the same year.

She found out in July while at the hardware store.

“I was emotional in the cleaning products aisle,” she told CTV News. “It was a little weird, but it was beautiful really. I devoted years of my life to Severance and this is very special.”

Gagne was born in Quebec City, developing a love for movies in her father’s video stores.

“As a kid, I was into things like Little Shop of Horrors, Splash and other popular movies. My father used to bring us to work and instead of a babysitter, he would hand us a pile of VHS tapes,” she says.

Her background in La Belle Province infused her with a style of cinema that has European and Quebec roots, but she also drew on American style, giving her a unique perspective.

“I have a foot in both canoes,” she says. “I want to make films that are entertaining, but I also want to pour my heart and soul into my projects.”

Gagne’s work caught the attention of American actor, comedian and filmmaker Ben Stiller more than eight years ago. They partnered up on the 2018 award-winning crime-drama series “Escape at Dannemora”, before teaming up again for “Severance”.

“With Ben, it was almost like his personal taste and my personal taste matched immediately,” she says. “We were in a comfort zone, and I think that’s why we have worked together for so long.”

“Severance” focuses on the lives of workers who have agreed to have their brains severed, separating their work selves from their home selves.

Gagne worked as a cinematographer on the first season. At first, she declined to return for the second season, surmising it may have been time to move on after building the dystopian world of the series. But Stiller’s offer included Gagne making her directorial debut on one of the second season’s episodes, titled “Chikhai Bardo.” It focuses on the love affair between one of the main characters, Mark, and his wife, Gemma, who he has been told was killed in a car crash. It details Gemma’s struggles.

“When I read the synopsis of this episode, something clicked in me that it should be told by a woman,” she says. “And I felt ownership to it. In general, now, when I am looking for a project I want to feel like I am the right person for it. And I felt that.”

Currently, she is developing her own projects, including writing and directing her first feature film. She is also waiting for the Emmy Awards to see whether she will get the nod and take a trophy home.