Image via Hector Rodriguez
There’s nothing quite like the thrill of watching Euphoria. The sophomore season of the beloved HBO series is firing on all cylinders right now, with spectacular spotlights over the last three weeks on some surprising characters including Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), Cal (Eric Dane), and fan-favorite Fezco (Angus Cloud). The latter two, in particular, have started off the season by intersecting in some surprising ways, as Cal—set up by his son Nate (Jacob Elordi)—ends up crossing paths with Fezco in a dangerous fashion.
Cloud’s performance as Fezco, in particular, struck a chord in the episodes we watched, balancing a soulful approach with Maude Apatow’s Lexi and Chloe Cherry’s Faye with a bit of vengeance towards Nate. The latter bookends the series’ absolutely electric premiere, the ramifications of which the show is still exploring.
In the wake of Fezco and Cal’s “Who’s On First?”-inspired showdown in this week’s episode, Complex jumped on the line to briefly chat with Cloud, who just touched down in Oklahoma City to begin work on his second film—he recently wrapped on a Christmas-set thriller called Your Lucky Day. The actor spoke with us about working alongside the “fucking hilarious” Eric Dane, some of the prep that went into the premiere’s show-stopper of an ending, how Maude Apatow made it easy for him to open up, and much more.
I know you are a super busy dude as of late. Where are you right now?
I’m in Oklahoma City, man.
What are you working on? Can you talk about it?
Yeah, we’re working on a film. It’s gonna be coming soon.
What’s it been like to see the reaction to the Season 2 premiere?
[There’s] been a lot of support and love coming my way, so I’m really appreciative of that. It’s nice to hear, you know what I’m saying?
I know you all had a table ready for Season 2 all the way back in March of 2020 before the pandemic shut everything down. What was the cast reaction like in the room to the ending of the premiere?
We didn’t get to necessarily sit in the room and read that because of COVID. So I can’t tell you what the energy in the room [was like], but in the Zoom, everyone was excited to read that.
Was the ending always on the page? Did it change at all during the COVID production delay?
Yeah. I think that was always the ending of Episode 1, even with all the moving parts and changing of the scripts and all that. But I think that part pretty much stayed the same.
How did you and Jacob prep for that scene? I know you shared a clip with the two of you practicing on Twitter, but what was the rehearsal process of that like?
With the breaking of the bottle, we just did that one good time just to get a feel for it, to know what we was about to be doing for real. I mean it was a stunt man there, my man Jeff, and he helps us make sure—all the movements—that we feel comfortable with that. It’s a process, but we made it happen, you know. But you gotta prepare and set up for all that to make sure no accidents happen and whatnot.
Is that part of the process—that physicality—is that something that you look forward to doing? What is your process for those individual moments?
Yeah, it’s always super exciting for me with the fighting scenes and whatnot, it’s always just figuring out all the movements to make sure looks real— but you not even touching them, you know what I’m saying? So [there’s] an art to that. They have professionals who come show you how to make all that look real and whatnot. You gotta practice, make sure all those movements feel good, and everything’s safe. Cause safety is really the No. 1 priority on the set. So they’re really careful about all that.
Switching gears a little bit, I think it was interesting to see the start of this relationship with Lexi. What was it like to share the screen with Maude [Apatow] and work with her as a scene partner?
Oh, it was a blessing, man. I love working with Maude—she’s the best. We always had a great time whenever we get to work together. She’s hilarious. She cracks me up.
You’ve spoken a little bit about getting to engage with your softer side this season. Does having an active and engaged scene partner like Maude make opening up and being vulnerable easier?
Maude helps with that for sure. [Laughs] You gotta feel safe and comfortable to sort of open up. I always feel like that around her, so it’s not too difficult.
Between the tense showdown in Episode 2 and the huge scene in Episode 3, it’s compelling to watch you interact with Eric Dane. Can you tell me what it was like working alongside him?
I love working with Eric, man. He’s fucking hilarious. It’s cool to work with him because he’s been in the business for so long and, you know, I haven’t. It’s cool to see that even if you are in this as long as he has been, you still have some of those same struggles that I’m dealing with as a new actor and whatnot. [Like] I’m not the only one going through that or whatever, you know what I’m saying? He helps me out with that.
Was there one specific piece of advice or a way that he prepped that you picked up in your scenes together that you’ve incorporated into your process?
I couldn’t tell you one thing off the bat. But, just as a whole, the way he moves is definitely an inspiration and whatnot.
The big confrontation in Episode 3 becomes this comedy of errors. Was that tone on the page when you first read it? Or did you all work it out as you were filming it together?
Definitely both. You know, on the paper, it was confusing and it’s like, what’s going on? Everyone in the scene is confused. I think that’s really how it reads when you watch it, you know? But at the same time, we had to figure out—when we are rehearsing and when we’re shooting—how all of it should feel exactly. It’s always a lot different to read it and then actually make it come to life. So it was a little bit of both.
I think it’s interesting how Fezco can ascertain the truth of what is happening with everyone because so many people have secrets on the show—but when they’re around Fez, some of those things come to light. Have you ever thought about your character being that one that kind of is this tether to, to the overall secrets everyone is hiding?
I haven’t really thought of it like that, but it’s funny you point that out. You know, I think that Fez kind of has a lens to see through that fog or whatever. He doesn’t beat around the bush, so he’s gonna call it like he sees it.
We’re almost at the halfway point of the season. Can you tease anything about what’s to come?
Hmm, let me think. I don’t wanna say too much.
That’s alright! Can you talk a little bit about the movie, Your Lucky Day, that you just finished wrapping up? What was it like going from a television set to a movie set? Was it a difficult transition?
Every set you’re on is gonna be a different vibe. But on Euphoria, I mean, we’re really making it happen like a bunch of mini-movies. So, it’s not a crazy difference. I can’t pinpoint all the differences between a TV set and a movie set, but it wasn’t too foreign to me.