5 Times ‘Euphoria’ Cast Members Had To Ask Sam Levinson To Remove Nude Scenes Because They Were Uncomfortable
Are the nude scenes necessary?
Katy Hutchins / Shutterstock The HBO hit series 'Euphoria' has often been praised for it's uncensored view on addiction, mental health, and sexuality.
However, among the widespread love that many fans have for the show, there are many viewers who have a problem with the excessive amount of nudity that the show's creator, and writer, Sam Levison, incorporates into each episode.
Many fans feel as if the nudity scenes in 'Euphoria' are uncalled for, and that they add nothing to the storylines of the characters.
The criticism hasn't only been from fans either, many of the show's leads have shared in interviews that they've had to personally ask Levinson to alter their nudity scenes because they've felt uncomfortable.
While each cast member has praised Levinson for adapting his script to fit within their boundaries, fans have been wondering why the writer included these seemingly unneccesary scenes in the first place.
Here are 5 times the ‘Euphoria’ cast had to Ask Sam Levinson to change nude scenes because they were uncomfortable.
1. Minka Kelly asked Sam Levinson to cut her scene because she felt "uncomfortable" with being naked.
Minka Kelly, who is among one of the new cast members in season 2, plays the wealthy mom of a child who Alexa Demie's character, Maddy, babysits.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Kelly revealed that her character, Samantha, was meant to have a nude scene during her very first onscreen encounter with Maddy. However, she told Levinson that she would much rather keep her clothes on instead.
In the second episode of season 2, Samantha asks Maddy to unzip her dress after coming home from a night out. According to Kelly, L:evinson had wanted that scene to be more revealing than it ended up being.
"[Sam Levinson] thought it would be more interesting if my dress fell to the ground," Kelly said. "That was my first day as a guest on this new show, and I just didn't feel comfortable standing there naked."
Kelly went on to say that as soon as she voiced her discomfort, Levinson was extremely willing to tweak the scene.
"I said, 'I'd love to do this scene, but I think we can keep my dress on,'" Kelly continued. "He was like, 'Okay!' He didn't even hesitate. And he shot a beautiful scene and got exactly what he wanted."
2. Sydney Sweeney didn't think her character had to be topless all of the time.
Sydney Sweeney, who plays Cassie on the series, recently opened up about how she feels when her character is constantly naked onscreen, even saying that critics often overlooked Cassie because of how often she was nude in the first season.
In an interview with The Independent, Sweeney talks about a specific moment in which she pushed back against a scene in which Levinson wanted Cassie to get naked.
"There are moments where Cassie was supposed to be shirtless and I would tell Sam, 'I don't really think that's necessary here.' He was like, 'OK, we don't need it,'" Sweeney said.
"I've never felt like Sam has pushed it on me or was trying to get a nude scene into an HBO show. When I didn't want to do it, he didn't make me."
3. Martha Kelly revealed that she had felt "heartbroken" when reading the script for the first time.
Martha Kelly, who plays nonchalant drug dealer Laurie, told Variety that she had felt a certain way when she read a scene that was supposed to happen between her character and Rue, played by Zendaya.
"There is that scene where Rue is getting into the tub, and Laurie injects her with morphine — and in the script, it is even creepier, because Laurie is helping her undress and get in the tub, and it is approaching this gross pedophilia vibe. Initially, I was just like, 'I can’t do this.'"
However, Kelly said that after she'd met with Levinson and talked about the scene with him, she ultimately decided not to ask him to alter it.
"I spoke with him and decided not to ask him to change anything, because I feel very strongly that I’m more of a comedian than an actor, so I would never tell a writer or a director if they could change something for me because I feel so lucky to have been invited in the first place."
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Kelly continued, saying that she didn't want to "intrude with my own self-centered discomfort." She was happy when Levinson told her that the scene would be filmed slightly out of focus, adding "that some stuff was altered because of that pause we took in filming due to the pandemic."
4. Alexa Demie talked about the nudity in the show being "tough" for her.
Alexa Demie, who plays fan-favorite Maddy on the series, opened up to Vogue back in 2019 during the release of the first season, sharing that reading the nudity scenes in the script had been hard for her.
“When I read the script I was like this all makes sense and I want to do it," Demie said. “The nudity was — it was tough for me because I’m, you know, I’m not really… I’m just not comfortable like that publicly."
"So it was hard for me. But it definitely, like I said, pulled me out of my comfort zone, and after I did it, I watched it and it’s just…it’s not that serious."
5. Chloe Cherry was supposed to be nude in the first scene she shot.
Chloe Cherry, who plays newcomer Faye, an addict who has been living with Fezco (played by Angus Cloud) and Ashtray (played by Javon Walton.)
In an interview with the Daily Beast, Cherry revealed that she had been thrown into a very intense first scene, where her character, covered in blood, had to be pushed through a vent by her onscreen boyfriend.
She goes on to explain that Levinson had wanted Cherry's character to be nude during the debacle.
“We just met and said, ‘Hey, how are you?’ and then shot the scene,” she said. “It probably would’ve been more comfortable had we had a little more time to know each other. Sam wanted to do the scene with me completely naked."
While Cherry herself didn't voice any discomfort to Levinson, her costar Tyler Chase (who plays Custer) spoke up telling Levinson, "That's a lot," according to Cherry.
"They decided not to. But I was covered in fake blood and just felt so good being on set.”
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Follow her on Instagram.