Britt Lower

Britt Lower (born August 2, 1985) is an American actor best known for playing Helly Riggs, a newly hired Lumon Industries worker, in Apple TV+'s Severance. The science-fiction workplace drama centers on “severed” employees whose work memories are surgically separated from their outside lives. Helly resists the procedure's constraints from her first day on Lumon's Macrodata Refinement floor, while her “outie” identity becomes a central mystery. Lower's character was subsequently identified as Helena Eagan, daughter of Lumon's chief executive Jame Eagan. That revelation sharpened the show's examination of corporate power, consent, and divided identity. Lower returned for the series' second season.

Season two premiered in January 2025. In the second season, Helly faces the consequences of the first season's gala disclosure, while the show further distinguishes her from Helena. Lower earned Emmy recognition for the role: she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Severance in 2022, and received another nomination for the category in 2025. She also received Screen Actors Guild Award nominations as part of the series' ensemble, and was nominated individually for female actor in a drama series for her performance. Severance has paired Lower with Adam Scott, Patricia Arquette, John Turturro, Zach Cherry, Tramell Tillman, Dichen Lachman, and Christopher Walken.

Before Severance, Lower played Liz Greenberg on FXX's Man Seeking Woman, the surreal romantic comedy created by Simon Rich from his book The Last Girlfriend on Earth. Lower appeared as Liz, a recurring character connected to Josh Greenberg, played by Jay Baruchel. The show adapted dating anxieties into fantastical premises, including literal monsters and absurdist social rules. In 2016, she played Tanya Sitkowsky in CBS crime drama Unforgettable, and also appeared in episodes of Casual, High Maintenance, and Future Man before becoming internationally known through Severance years later.

Lower also appeared in the Comedy Central sitcom Big Lake. In film, she appeared in Sisters (2015) and played Celeste in Mr. Roosevelt (2017), a comedy written and directed by Noël Wells. The film follows Los Angeles comedian Emily Martin as she returns to Austin after a former boyfriend's death; Celeste is the partner of Emily's ex, Philip. Lower was born in Heyworth, Illinois, and attended Northwestern University. Before her television work, she performed improvisational comedy in Chicago, including at the iO Theater and The Second City. Her career has moved between sitcoms, independent film, and Severance's intricate corporate dystopia.