When asked about the challenges of making Euphoria Season 3, series creator Sam Levinson cited the challenge of losing Angus Cloud to an overdose in 2023.
“Losing Angus was really hard on the production team. I loved him very deeply,” an emotional Levinson told Variety at the Euphoria Season 3 premiere in Hollywood on Tuesday night. “I fought hard to keep them clean.”
Levinson said he used the new season to honor Cloud and “keep him alive” through storytelling.
“I wanted to address that. I wanted to address questions about faith, about a power greater than ourselves. What does it mean to surrender your life and will to a God who understands Him?”
In addition to Cloud, “Euphoria” also lost Eric Dane to ALS in February. Levinson recalled telling Dane there was “no pressure” to return to the set after being diagnosed with ALS, but Dane insisted, “I want to do it.”
“When he showed up, I noticed his speech was a little slurred,” Levinson recalled. “He was a little self-conscious, so I said, ‘This is going to work perfectly. I’m going to put five beer bottles in front of you, and you’re going to say all the awful things you’d never say if you were sober.’ And so We had a great time filming. We had 28 people at the wedding and he showed up with so much grace and dignity, even though there were so many people around him. He was a consummate professional to the end and we will miss him.”
After series star Zendaya hinted that season 3 could be the last for “Euphoria,” Levinson shared his thoughts on whether to continue the show. Levinson said he writes “every season like it’s the last” and has “no plans” for a fourth season. For now, he said he is fully focused on delivering his best work in Season 3.
He said, “I want to end it as strong as I can. I’m still cutting (episodes) 7 and 8. I’m putting the finishing touches on it. I just want to give you the best Slam Dunk season.”
During an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, Zendaya very strongly hinted that the series would end with season 3, and when Barrymore asked if it was the final season, she replied, “I think so, yeah.” Zendaya also said, “That closure is coming.”
There has been no official announcement from HBO regarding the upcoming season.
As previously reported, Season 3 jumps forward five years, with Cassie (Sidney Sweeney) and Nate (Jacob Elordi) married and living in the suburbs, and Lou paying off her debt to drug dealer Laurie (Martha Kelly). Levinson also revealed that Jules (Hunter Schafer) is attending art school and Maddie (Alexa Demme) works at a Hollywood talent agency.
Last month, Zendaya told me that filming Season 3 was “a whirlwind.” “I accomplished in like four months what I would have done in eight months,” she said at the premiere of “The Drama” in Los Angeles. “It was like trying to record eight episodes at once. It flew by.”
“Euphoria” Season 3 will premiere on HBO on April 12th at 9pm ET/PT.
