One of the most talked-about television shows is the HBO drama Euphoria. A whirlwind series about being in high school, young love, the harsh reality of drugs and addiction, and everything in between all wrapped up in beautiful cinematography and brilliant actors. Creator Sam Levinson hired not only A-List actors, but also has turned the spotlight on quite a few first-time actors that have shone just as bright as the other stars. Alongside Zendaya (Spider-Man: No Way Home), Alexa Demie (Mid90s) and Maude Apatow (This is 40), semi-newcomers Hunter Schafer, Angus Cloud, and Barbie Ferreira have stolen hearts and have quickly become fan favorites.
With Euphoria becoming such a hit in such a short amount of time — the first episode of the second season saw over 13.1 million streams — there are obviously tons of fans, but also quite the amount of room for error. Euphoria Season 2 had all the buzz, but also left a lot of fans unsatisfied with some loose storylines and plot holes. Another quarrel that left a lot of fans uneasy was the amount of seemingly unnecessary nudity that was a constant throughout the second season, especially surrounding the character, Cassie, played by Sydney Sweeney (The White Lotus).
While this show made its staple in its first season being an ensemble-based format — each episode narrated by Rue, but focusing on the story of one of the other central characters — Euphoria season 2 strayed a bit with that, losing some characters along the way. Two characters that barely got any screen time were McKay, played by Algee Smith, and Kat, played by Ferreira. So, to most fans, it did not come as much of a surprise when Ferreira posted to her instagram that she will not be returning for season 3. However, her character not having much screen time may have only been the tip of a bigger iceberg. Here are possible reasons why Barbie Ferreira isn’t returning for Euphoria season 3.
Creative Differences with Sam Levinson
Director Sam Levinson is known for his similar Euphoria-style feature Assassination Nation and drama Malcolm & Marie starring Zendaya and John David Washington. He also is famously known for how in-control of the HBO series he is. For Euphoria, Levinson writes, directs, and produces every episode, and most of the time, it is just him in the writers room and the director's chair. During the shooting of season 2, there were rumors that Levinson and Ferreira were not getting along, a timeline for which was outlined by Decider. From her being one of the leads in season 1 to having hardly any lines in season 2, Ferreira was said to have had creative differences with Levinson over character's arc. In one instance, there were reports that, early on, Ferreira walked off set one day after an argument. After that, the character of Kat was wildly reduced, and most of her lines from season 2 were cut, per BuzzFeed News, leaving plotlines and resulting in Kat proposing a weird ending to her relationship with her boyfriend Ethan, played by Austin Abrams (The Walking Dead, Paper Towns). There is no confirmed report on what happened to make Ferreira walk off set, and why Levinson seemed to take the aftermath out on her character, but differences were shared between the show runner and the actress, resulting in a drastic cutting of her character. That could be why Ferreira is not returning, due to her character being cut and her differences not being respected.
Unhappy With the Writing
Along with differences in personalities or character performances, there is also the suggestion of the writing for Euphoria. A little known fact about the entire show is that it is a sort of remake. Based on an Israeli show of the same title, the Zendaya-starring HBO show is an American version of the same hard-hitting, teenage drama. Both Israeli creators, Ron Leshem and Daphna Levin are credited as writers and creators of Euphoria, but Levinson is the only one truly in the writers room, meaning he has all the creative say in the storyline. Schafer wrote one specialty episode, and it is a fan favorite for performances and for a deeper look into Jules.
Throughout Euphoria season 1, Kat was an icon for viewers struggling with their body image, and anyone who is a plus-size person. Her character learned confidence and how to love her body, and how to be unapologetically herself. Kat was one of the first plus-size characters in a teen drama that wasn’t the “sad, funny, fat friend”. So, when Kat became a self-sabotaging person in season 2 of Euphoria, and most of her storylines from Season 1 were cast aside and seemingly forgotten about, that could also have stirred Ferreira's desire to leave the show.
Moving on to Bigger Things
Just this year, Ferreira has already starred in one of the biggest movies of the 2022 summer. Jordan Peele’s alien western, Nope, starring Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out), Keke Palmer (Hustlers), and Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead) has kept Peele’s name in horror, and although Ferreira’s character of Nessie was a small role, she was a fun addition to the movie. Shortly after her announcement of leaving the role of Kat and the Euphoria world, she posted on her instagram that she would be starring alongside Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose (West Side Story) in the restaurant horror thriller House of Spoils, which, per Slash Film, is currently in pre-production. Not much is known about the film, but it seems that Ferreira is staying booked and busy despite her departure from Euphoria.
For fans, it is a heartbreak that Ferreira will no longer play Kat, but it is important to understand that there could be a lot of reasons that went into the decision to leave Euphoria that are not known to the public. There is no doubt that we will see Ferreira again, and she seems to be leaning into the world of horror movies, and it is very exciting to see where she goes next.