Euphoria, the highly-rated teen drama television series, has continued to captivate viewers with its over-the-top plot, appealing themes, and believable characters. The show, created by acclaimed director Sam Levinson, had a star-studded cast, including Zendaya and late star Angus Cloud, who did a phenomenal job on the show.
Cloud, who played the character of Fezco “Fez” O’Neill in this popular HBO series, passed away on 31 July 2023, leaving millions of fans heartbroken. His powerful depiction in the show not only delighted the audience but stunned the series creator, who recently revealed that he scrapped the original plot to kill off his character in the first season of Euphoria, claiming he wanted to support the late star and because his unique acting skills and his flawless character portrayal greatly impressed him.
Sam Levinson Changed the Initial Plot For Angus Cloud’s Character in Season First of Euphoria
In a recent candid interview with People magazine, Euphoria creator Sam Levinson praised late star Angus Cloud’s acting skills and further shared why he changed the initial plot to kill off Cloud’s character at the end of the first season of the beloved HBO show. Levison shared that his character, Fezco “Fez” O’Neill was supposed to die, but he changed the plot and kept him alive to support the actor.
Speaking with People magazine, the filmmaker shared,
“Angus was supposed to die at the end of the first season, but I loved him so f—ing much. The first thing I noticed about him was he had those Paul Newman eyes … and his audition tape where he said that his name was Angus Cloud and he’s ‘five foot 12.’ It killed me. He was perfect. I think part of the problem is I would sometimes put actors ahead of the show at times. So I was like, ‘Okay, I can’t kill him because then what is he to look forward to?‘”
Sam Levinson claimed that he scrapped his initial plan to kill off Angus Cloud’s character at the end of season one of the titular show because he was impressed with his powerful performance and wanted to support him.
Sam Levinson on Angus Cloud’s Reaction After He Was Told His Character Would Die in Season 2
During his discussion with People magazine, Sam Levinson recalled Angus Cloud’s reaction when he informed him on the set of the show that his character was going to die at the season 2 finale of Euphoria after he changed the plot in season one, saying,
[When I told him Fez would die in a season 2 shootout], I could just see the blood kind of run out of his face. I think the hardest thing is when you have addiction issues — it’s about finding your purpose and finding your meaning in life. The one thing that I knew is he loved making this show. He loved the crew. He loved the actors. He loved everything about it. And I just thought, if this goes away, I don’t know what’s going to happen in his life. […] [I told my producing partners] I can’t do it. I can’t kill him. We got to keep him around. He’s too special. It doesn’t matter what the f—king story is.”
According to reports, a slightly similar episode occurred on the set of another popular show, Breaking Bad, in which actor Aaron Paul’s character Jesse Pinkman was supposed to die in the show’s first season. As reported by Screen Rant, series creator Vince Gilligan changed the original plans after the team watched Paul’s extraordinary performance in the second episode of the first season and decided to keep his character alive.
Euphoria is available for streaming on HBO Max.
Source: People magazine, Screen Rant
