Did Sam Levinson ‘copy’ another director’s ideas for Euphoria? The cast drama, explained

Euphoria season three has finally begun, and nobody is short of opinions on it. One name that keeps cropping up in debates is Petra Collins. This director (and some Euphoria viewers) claimed Sam Levinson was “inspired by” her art, and visuals from Euphoria are “a copy” of her ideas. So, what drama was there between Petra Collins and Sam Levinson over Euphoria? Here’s a handy guide to all the gossip.

Wait, who is Petra Collins?

If you weren’t aware: Petra Collins is a very successful (and fairly famous) artist. Over the last year, she’s photographed Charli XCX and Nicole Kidman. She directed several Olivia Rodrigo music videos, and the video for Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco‘s song Sunset Blvd. Not too shabby. Her new book Star, which came out today, depicts “tales of love and dangerous obsession” about fictitious musicians. She even made a short film with Euphoria‘s Alexa Demie.

Some of her work and Euphoria do use similar visuals. For instance, Petra Collins and the early seasons of Euphoria favour a soft, grainy look. Her 2016 photo exhibition 24hr Psycho depicts teenage girls under coloured lights crying tears of glitter. Posters and promotional images for seasons one and two of Euphoria also feature these things.

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What did Petra Collins claim about Euphoria and Sam Levinson?

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Sam Levinson is the creator of Euphoria. Petra Collins brought up Euphoria in a 2023 interview with the Hungarian outlet Punkt. She claimed Sam Levinson told her he was “inspired by” her photos, and he was interested in her directing the show. She said: “I moved to Los Angeles and worked for HBO for about five months. I was like, ‘I am directing the show.’ I created a whole world for it, did the casting, whatever. [And at] the last minute, HBO was like, ‘We are not hiring you because you are too young.’

“A year later, I walked out of my apartment and saw this billboard [advertising Euphoria], and it’s exactly what I am, as a copy of my work. I started crying. I was so shocked. I mean, it happens to me so many times in my career but not on a scale like that.”

She added: “I had to change my style because of Euphoria. Lots of people started to take photos in that style and I haven’t felt any more as mine and I felt disconnected from that.”

Rue’s glittery eye make-up in Euphoria season one
(Image via HBO)

Her account of these events was denied by “a source close to Levinson”. This source told The Daily Beast: “It’s very widely known that Euphoria is a remake of an Israeli show. Apparently, Sam Levinson offered to “throw her name in the ring” of directors being considered for the first episode. The source explained: “As a fan of hers, he was hoping there was a possibility they could work together in that way. But by no means was anything promised. That wouldn’t have even been possible for him to do because ultimately it’s the network’s decision.”

Euphoria is based on an Israeli miniseries from 2013, that’s also called Euphoria. Sam Levinson has been vocal about how he drew inspiration from his own experiences with drug addiction during his teens.

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