Sam Levinson is getting candid about the behind-the-scenes difficulties in making Euphoria season three, and his post-finale comments explain why the ending – and the story up until that point – feels so messy. The third chapter of the HBO series felt like an entirely different show, and part of that is due to the time jump. But it’s no secret that the narrative choices have raised a few eyebrows. Rue, Jules, Maddy, and Cassie all find themselves involved in differing forms of sex work, Kat is nowhere to be seen (which we knew already due to Barbie Ferreira’s exit), Faye’s dating a Nazi, and Lexi spent the entire season judging everyone. As for Nate, he spent the entirety of season three getting beaten up and having his various appendages removed, before meeting his untimely demise from a snake bite. And that’s before we get to the controversial absence of Labrinth. Since the cast’s star power has grown significantly since the start of Euphoria, viewers have questioned whether increasingly busy schedules affected the story, particularly as many of the characters spent surprisingly little time together on screen. As Jacob Elordi confirmed to Variety last year, “I don’t really know what anyone else is doing. It’s all quite separate.” According to Levinson, fans weren’t entirely wrong to suspect that practical realities played a role in shaping the season’s unusual structure. Sam Levinson reveals how Euphoria’s cast impacted season 3 Credit: HBO In the latest episode of Popcast, the Euphoria creator confirmed that the cast’s busy schedules did impact season three, as it meant they had to switch up the way they told the story. Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi, and Hunter Schafer are all A-listers in their own right. Co-host Joe Coscarelli asked Levinson how the “logistical puzzle” of getting them together was, and if he got what he wanted out of the character arcs. “Logistically, it was very tough,” Levinson replied. “We had to crossboard all eight episodes. It’s 178 days of shooting.” Elaborating on the meaning of “crossboard,” he explained, “For instance, when you shoot a show, usually you’ll shoot scenes from, say, two episodes at a time. “This season we would do a scene from episode eight in the morning, a scene from episode three, and another scene from episode one… just because of schedules.” He admitted that it “made it difficult”, as sometimes they had to go back to a location multiple times due to the availability of cast members. “At the same time you have to keep it all on budget and schedule,” he said. In regards to the story itself, Levinson said he tended to look at Euphoria as more like a film than a TV show. “I understand the architecture of TV where you have five characters and you always tell a piece of their story every single episode. That’s not how I’ve ever really gone about Euphoria,” he continued. “I think of it as sometimes a character takes a front seat, sometimes they take a backseat, sometimes they’re in an episode, sometimes they’re not. It’s just whatever the story requires and whatever the engine is.” Levinson insists he didn’t compromise Nate’s story Credit: HBO Levinson also addressed Nate’s story, which faced much backlash from the fans, with many feeling he was sidelined and that his character had completely changed between seasons two and three. “In terms of Nate’s role, his life and his lies and all of the wheeling and dealing that he does is the engine for Cassie’s story, which becomes the bigger arc of the season,” he said. Levinson argued that the reaction stems partly from viewers’ long-term investment in the characters and their expectations. “Because audiences know the history of these characters, it gets compared to, ‘Well, in this season he had this and that,’ and you are deeply invested,” he said. “Which is a blessing, but it comes down to what’s right for the story and what keeps it moving and the audience engaged.” Despite the logistical challenges involved in filming the season, Levinson insisted he didn’t feel forced to compromise his creative vision. “That’s how I look at it, and I don’t think that I had to compromise,” he added. For all the latest film and TV updates and hot takes, like our Facebook page. Featured image credit: HBO Post navigation Next storyPrevious story
