Sam Levinson’s Emmy award-winning HBO drama Euphoria featuring Zendaya hit the jackpot with critics and viewers. The show which is an adaptation of the Israeli series of the same name follows the troubled life of 17-year-old Rue, a drug addict fresh out of rehab, who struggles to stay clean and integrate herself into society. With Season 1 becoming a big hit with audiences, Sam Levinson and HBO renewed their contract to create Season 2, which aired in 2022.
Apart from Zendaya, who gained massive popularity as the troubled drug addict Rue, the show was also instrumental in bringing other talented upcoming stars to the fore like Sydney Sweeney, Hunter Schafer, and Barbie Ferreira. But behind Euphoria’s success, many issues plagued the show including a few grievances from the cast towards the creator, Sam Levinson.
Here’s Why Barbie Ferreira Is Done With Euphoria
One of the young stars who gained recognition in Sam Levinson’s hit show Euphoria was Barbie Ferreira, who played the role of Kat Hernandez, a teen with body issues who looks to salvage her reputation in school. Ferreira’s powerful performance won her many hearts and critical acclaim too. But the star who was present in both seasons is now speaking out about the issues she faced in the show concerning how her character was portrayed in Season 2 which ultimately saw her exiting the show permanently. Ferreira appeared in the Armchair Expert Podcast and said,
“So, for me, when people ask me about Season 2, it’s usually they come at me with, like, I was some sort of victim to Season 2 and I’m always like, ‘No, it’s okay, promise. It’s good, but I kind of got sucked into this drama that I never asked to be in and that I’ve never talked about. I really wanted to be able to not be the fat best friend. I don’t want to play that, and I think they didn’t want that either.”
Barbie Ferreira revealed that it was a mutual decision between her and the creators to see her character exit the show as she felt that the road she and her fans wanted to take with Kat Hernandez after Season 2 was not going to happen. The actor also added that creator Sam Levinson did not relate to Kat Hernandez as much as he did to the others, possibly due to her appearance and personality, and that ultimately resulted in the character reaching her end in Euphoria.
Sam Levinson’s The Idol Controversy Explained
Euphoria creator Sam Levinson has been in the public eye not only due to the success of his hit show but also for his controversial decisions regarding his characters with particular reference to Barbie Ferreira’s Kat Hernandez. Levinson is now working on the HBO series, The Idol, which will feature pop superstar The Weeknd, and Lily-Rose Depp. The series which has been in the works for a long time has seen multiple problems including changes in the script and the exit of the original director Amy Seimetz, who left the series with allegedly 80 percent of the series filmed.
When Sam Levinson was roped in to take the show further, his ideas for the show and the characters allegedly did not align with the vision of the producers, one of whom was The Weeknd himself. According to an article in Rolling Stone, inside sources claimed that Levinson turned the narrative on its head by adding more nudity and disturbing sexual and toxic content that was not warranted for the show. While the director declined to comment on these allegations, the lead star Lily Rose-Depp supported Levinson, calling him the best director that she had worked with. She further added,
“the creative team has been committed to creating a safe, collaborative, and mutually respectful working environment, and last year, the team made creative changes they felt were in the best interest of both the production and the cast and crew.”
The Weeknd who did not respond with a comment on the situation immediately seemed to back Levinson and the film by taking to Twitter with an image of himself and his co-star Lily Rose-Depp with a tongue-in-cheek jibe directed at Rolling Stone.
Euphoria Season 3 is set to go into production later this year for a probable 2024 return to HBO.
The Idol is scheduled to air sometime in 2023.
Source: Variety
