Yet another Euphoria actor has come forward about pushing back on the series’ creator
over feeling uncomfortable while filming a scripted nude scene —
Let’s get into it.
Before we continue, we want to issue a spoiler warning- just so ya know, we’ll be discussing
details that have happened in season 2!
So Minka Kelly is the latest Euphoria cast member to reveal how she spoke up to Sam Lenvinson
— the show’s writer and director — about NOT feeling comfortable taking her clothes
off on set.
“Hard pass.”
For those of you having trouble placing Minka, she made her debut in season 2 of the series
as Samantha, a rich young mom who Maddy occasionally babysits for.
At one point on the show, Maddy almost gets busted for trying on her expensive dresses
and jewelry in Samantha’s walk-in closet.
But instead, Samantha asks Maddy to help her unzip her dress while she’s getting ready
for bed and the camera slowly pans down her bare back as the gown is unpeeled.
Well, it turns out that in the original scene, Sam had written that Samantha’s dress actually
falls to the ground — a bold choice Minka claims she hadn’t been made aware of…
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Minka opened up about the filming process of that
particular scene, and how the details about her character’s actions were “vague."
She explained, “That was my first day as a guest on this new show, and I just didn’t
feel comfortable standing there naked.”
Much to Minka’s relief, Sam didn’t put up a fight when she voiced her concerns about
baring it all in front of the cameras.
She recounted, “I said, ‘I’d love to do this scene, but I think we can keep my
dress on.’
He was like, ‘Okay!’
He didn’t even hesitate.
And he shot a beautiful scene and got exactly what he wanted.”
Now if this story sounds familiar, that's because just last month, Sydney Sweeney, whose
character Cassie appears naked in several scenes, revealed that the original version
of the script included even more nude scenes for her role.
But Sydney was also not afraid to put her foot down, telling Teen Vogue, “There are
moments where Cassie was supposed to be shirtless and I would tell Sam, ‘I don't really think
that's necessary here.’”
Syd also pointed out that Sam was very receptive of her concerns and immediately made the necessary
changes prioritizing her comfort.
There was also the case of actor Chloe Cherry, who plays Faye on the show…
Days after Sydney’s interview, Chloe shared a similar story while speaking to Daily Beast.
It turns out that before being cast for season 2 directly by Sam himself, Chloe rose to fame
in the adult entertainment industry, and as a fan of the show, she actually shot a porn
parody of Euphoria playing an X-rated version of Jules.
Chloe shared that her character was initially supposed to be “completely naked” throughout
her first scene – yep, the one where she’s shoved into a vent, but it was actually her
onscreen boyfriend, Tyler Chase, who voiced his discomfort, so Chloe’s clothes stayed
on.
She also mentioned that Sam flew her out to Los Angeles for her audition and that she
was “shocked” that he was so “excited” to work with her...
It’s worth noting that fans of the show have been sounding off on Twitter about what
they see as unnecessary nudity in this new season, especially taking into account that
the actors are portraying high school students, like this person who wrote,
“that’s 3 actresses just this season saying that sam was asking for so much nudity that
was uncomfortable– at what point does someone intervene?”
Other users also criticized the amount of male genitalia being displayed this season,
like this person who tweeted, “All the nudity in the first episode of #Euphoria was utterly
unnecessary.
Like you are showing their d*cks to be an ‘edgy show.’”
Have to say- I agree with that one!
But it was like that in the first season, too…
As of yet, Sam hasn’t publicly addressed cast members’ or fans’ concerns about
the direction the series has taken, but we just hope he takes them into account as he
writes Euphoria’s third season which was recently renewed by HBO Max.
And good on these actors for feeling comfortable enough to voice their concerns, and being
respected for it!
Now go ahead and click right over here for another Clevver News video:
And also let us know in the comments your thoughts on these actors not being afraid
to speak their minds to the show’s creator.
Euphoria is a massive hit, and it’s probably not the easiest thing to say you’re uncomfortable
any aspect of the show!
I’m your host Carly Henderson, you can find me on socials @CarlyHenderson_.
I’ll catch you next time!