Euphoria creator Sam Levinson has said that working on the upcoming season was “really hard” for the cast and crew following star Angus Cloud’s death.
Cloud, who played fan favourite Fezco in the HBO drama, died aged 25 from an accidental drug overdose in 2023. The young actor died before production on the upcoming season of Euphoria had begun.
Speaking about Cloud’s death, the show’s creator Levinson said that he “fought hard” to keep the actor “clean”.
“Losing Angus was really hard for us as a production. I loved him very deeply,” he told Variety.
He added that Euphoria honours Cloud, choosing to “keep him alive” through storytelling.
“I wanted to deal with that. I wanted to deal with questions about faith, about a power greater than ourselves,” Levinson added. “What it means to surrender your life and your will to God as you understand him.”
Levinson – whose experience with addiction inspired Euphoria – previously spoke about Cloud’s struggle with drug abuse during the filming of Euphoria’s second season. He told People in September 2023 that HBO paid for him to attend a rehabilitation centre, however he relapsed midway through the season.
“I could always feel that he didn't want [sobriety] as much as we all wanted it for him,” he said. “That's where it gets tricky because the whole world can want it for you. But he didn't want it.
“It's just the self-destructive side of addiction and it outweighs everything. But you can't give up on people. I wasn't going to let anyone give up on him.”
The upcoming season of Euphoria sees Zendaya, Maude Apatow, Jacob Elordi, Alexa Demie, Sydney Sweeney and Hunter Schafer return as their characters following a five-year time jump. The new episodes mark Eric Dane’s final performance as Nate Jacobs’ dad Cal, following the actor’s death in February aged 53.
Dane, who was best known for his roles in Grey’s Anatomy and X-Men: The Last Stand, died after “a courageous battle with ALS”, having been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis last year.
A new trailer for the series, which came out in March, sees Rue (Zendaya) being interrogated by police about a trip to Mexico, Nate (Elordi) and Cassie (Sweeney) tie the knot, Lexi (Apatow) work as a Hollywood screenwriter and Jules (Schafer) embark on a career as a model.
