Euphoria: Colman Domingo defends show against allegations that the set has been toxic in season 2

Last Updated on November 29, 2023

Sam Levinson is a controversial figure on HBO after a bevy of risqué content that’s featured in his two notable series, Euphoria and his recent collaboration with The Weeknd, The Idol. Both shows deal with intense sexual content, and productions for both have been a hotbed of rumors and claims of toxicity as some cast and crew have allegedly quit. Amy Seimetz was a director on The Idol before she left due to creative differences with Levinson. She alleged that the showrunner wanted to amp up the spicy material and really push the limits of premium television. One production member reportedly stated, “What I signed up for was a dark satire of fame and the fame model in the 21st century…It went from satire to the thing it was satirizing.” Colman Domingo, who stars in the show, Euphoria, went to bat for Levinson when talk had arisen of an equally toxic set for season 2 of the high school drama. According to Variety, Domingo had spoken with The Independent when he said, “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.” He continued, “I’ve been in this business for 32 years. 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.”

He also addressed rumors that actress Barbie Ferreira stormed off set when she disagreed with the direction of her character on the show. “There’s no one that’s going to mistreat you on the set of Euphoria. Sam Levinson is joyful, and collaborative, and could not be a bigger advocate for his actors.” Ferreira herself would dispel the rumors, saying they were untrue. Jacob Elordi also defended the long hours being put in for the production, telling Variety, “We’re making movies, you know what I mean? I mean that in the broad sense, like this is filmmaking. And whilst you shouldn’t suffer, to me there’s great value in working hard. And for every hour that I’ve personally put in on that set, I can see it when I watch the show, and I can feel it when I’m walking on the street and people love the show.”