Summary
Euphoria creator Sam Levinson reveals he kept Angus Cloud’s character alive in the show in the hopes of helping the late actor. An American adaptation of an Israeli series that premiered back in 2012, this drama centers on a group of teenagers in the fictional town of East Highland, California, each with their own problems handling an excess of drugs, drink, and sex. The Euphoria cast features a plethora of talented actors, such as Zendaya, Maude Apatow, Alexa Demie, Eric Dane, Barbie Ferreira, Sydney Sweeney, Hunter Schafer, and Cloud, who played a level-headed local drug dealer named Fezco. After playing Fez on the show for 2 seasons, the 25-year-old sadly passed away earlier this year from an accidental overdose.
Speaking to People in a recent interview about Cloud, Levinson reveals that Fez was initially supposed to die at the end of season 1, but he decided to keep him alive because he loved the character and thought the show really helped Cloud personally. The 38-year-old filmmaker also recalls mentioning to Cloud on set that his character was slated to die in a hail of gunfire in the Euphoria season 2 finale. Cloud’s reaction to the news, however, made Levinson change his mind once again. Read his full comment below:
“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?’ […]
[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.”
Angus Cloud’s Fez Made Euphoria A Better Show
While actors like Zendaya, Sweeney, and Demie play central characters in Euphoria and usually dominate discussions surrounding the show, Cloud, who at least in season 1 didn’t get as much screen time, also delivered a standout performance. Before taking on the role of Fezco, he had no prior experience acting. He, however, brought a unique delivery, plainspokenness, and complexity to Fez, which quickly endeared him to fans.
Fez’s relationship with Rue was one of the highlights of season 1. Even though he dealt her drugs, viewers could tell he was more than just an enabler. He was a somewhat complicated “drug dealer with a heart of gold,” who genuinely sought to help Rue in ways he could. Also, His relationship with Lexi in season 2 was pretty notable and heartwarming, helping viewers understand his character even more.
Cloud’s performance on Euphoria helped give the show some soul amid all the glitzy chaos. His unflappable composure, clarity of mind, and emotional intelligence made him an extremely lovable character, one that undoubtedly added to the allure of the show. Cloud never felt like he was doing too much or too little; he simply put on performances that exuded sincerity.
Source: People
