Actor Sydney Sweeney believed that her character was going to get killed off in Season 2 of the HBO drama Euphoria.
Per Entertainment Weekly, when she received the script for the premiere episode from Sam Levinson, she recalls feeling taken aback by a particular scene in which her character Cassie Howard is given a ride to a party by Nate. In the car, Cassie consumes alcohol as Nate speeds recklessly, causing her to spill her drink and unfasten her seat belt.
Sweeney says the scene seemed ominous, and she experienced a sense of foreboding:
I thought that Sam was killing me […] When I read it, I thought that Cassie was getting killed off. And I was really bummed.
She was pleasantly surprised to discover that her character did not fall prey to cliché tropes. The scene became a departure from the expected and seamlessly segued into a moment of erotic tension. She explains, “It turned into this weirdly sensual, dangerous connection between these two characters.”
Sweeney recalls how she remained in character as she channeled the wild abandon of early youth and responded instinctively in an unscripted daredevil moment, hanging out of the window of a speeding car. These little flashes of authenticity are what lend Euphoria some of its stunning realism.
Euphoria is second only to Game of Thrones as the most-watched original series in HBO’s history. It tells the story of a group of high school students and explores their perspectives on identity in the context of California’s pervasive drug culture.
All seasons of Euphoria can be streamed on HBO Max.