Barbie Ferreira rose to stardom and captured audiences playing Euphoria’s Kat Hernandez, the sexually liberated, unbothered sass queen of the high school halls. She stole many scenes in Season 1 as her character boldly found her way through dabbling as a dominatrix, falling in love, and loving herself. But after a lackluster story arc for Kat in Season 2, many were left asking questions about why her screen time was down. An announcement this week provided some unfortunate answers, as Ferreira is officially leaving the show for Season 3.
In an Instagram story, Ferreira shared the news, writing a message that appeared over a drawing of Kat that was illustrated by fellow Euphoria star Hunter Schafer. “After four years of getting to embody the most special and enigmatic character Kat, I’m having to say a very teary eyed goodbye,” she wrote. “I hope many of you could see yourself in her like I did, and that she brought you joy to see her journey into the character she is today. I put all my care and love into her and i hope you guys could feel it.”
The news of Ferreira’s exit comes after the Daily Beast reported that the actress, 25, developed an adversarial relationship with show creator Sam Levinson during last season’s filming. Ferreira allegedly stormed off set during a disagreement with Levinson, leading him to cut her scenes. HBO denied the rumors, while Ferreira also skirted around them in an interview with Insider. “Sometimes, things take on a life of their own, and they’re not rooted in the truth, but it’s okay because I know it’s just out of passion and out of curiosity and all that good stuff,” she said. “And I signed up for it. So, I’ll take it. I’ll take the good and the bad.”
It’s unclear how things really shook out in the situation, but what is clear is that Kat deserved better. She was one of the most nuanced characters on a show that’s already rich with dynamic people and plots. She was an enduring crutch for comedic relief as well, with Ferreira wielding Kat’s sharp tongue like a sword. It was unfortunate enough to see her reduced to a background character in Season 2, and it’s a damn shame that we won’t get any more of Kat in Season 3. Hopefully, they at least write her off in a way that’s deserving of all that she brought to the show.
