
Euphoria crescendoed in February 2022 when the drama of the season two finale was nearly matched by the drama of the reports pertaining to the show’s working environment. Ten days before the show’s most recent episode aired, Cheyenne Roundtree of The Daily Beast published an eye-opening report that described working on the show as “messy” for members of the cast and crew. Portions of the story highlighted tensions between the show’s creator, Sam Levinson, and actress Barbie Ferreira. The report also alleged that those in charge failed “to provide them [with] meals on time and [refused] to let people use the bathroom.”
“HBO’s teen series has attracted massive ratings, making it one of the biggest shows on TV. But sources say the turmoil off-screen has been nearly as wild as the action on it,” the report states.
During a recent interview, one of the show’s most prominent stars, Colman Domingo, reflected on his experience working with Levinson. While he didn’t want to “invalidate [anyone’s] experience,” he said that working with the show’s creator was “joyful and collaborative.”
“Not one bit. I’m not gonna invalidate [anyone’s] experience. But working in television is long hours. Sometimes you work up to 14 hours a day. And then you have to go home and prep. You have to really live and work in a very methodical way. A lot of young actors may not be up for the task, or have that same work ethic,” Domingo said.
“I know what hard work is. So when I heard those ‘reports,’ “I thought, ‘Where is this coming from? That’s just a normal work day’. Be a professional.”