When Sam Levinson thought about keeping it PG for Sydney Sweeney’s Euphoria character in Season 3, the actress rejected the idea.
During a new conversation with The New York Times’ Popcast, the Euphoria creator discussed his relationship with Sweeney and why she’s so comfortable shooting mature content for the hit show. In Season 3, the HBO series introduces a new storyline in which her character, Cassie, pursues an OnlyFans career to fund a luxurious wedding to Nate Jacobs.
“Well, it’s funny. When I first wrote it, I was like, ‘Maybe we shoot all of this, and we don’t have any nudity. Maybe there’s ways to shoot around certain things?'” Levinson said at the 48:00 minute mark.
“And [Sweeney] looked at me, and she was like, ‘Are you kidding? I’m playing an OnlyFans model. You’re telling me you’re going to, like, skirt around it?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, OK, that’s a fair point.'”
Levinson applauded Sweeney for being “totally fearless” and a “wonderfully professional” actress: “There’s a lot of trust that we have.”
He added, “And look, we’re tackling this world of OnlyFans where women are being paid to, like, whisper into an ear-shaped microphone. There is a level of absurdity to it that is just fun, and we’re always trying to come up with ways to make it feel authentic and humorous and dramatic and also speak to the larger wants and wishes of the character.”
Elsewhere, Levinson highlighted the importance of caring for the show’s actors.
“I believe very strongly that the best, most honest performances are when an actor feels free and safe. That’s how you get a great performance. You can’t if there is any tension. The emotion is going to be blocked. And that’s something I’ve known from my days of studying acting. So my job is to create the kind of best, most conducive environment for the actor to play this character.”
On Sunday, the last episode of Euphoria’s Season 3 aired on HBO. While it was unclear at the time whether it was the end of the third season or the series finale, Levinson and HBO later confirmed that it was, in fact, the end of the psychological teen drama series.
