Tragic Details About The Cast Of Euphoria

This article contains discussions of addiction and mental health issues.

"Euphoria" has been a controversy magnet since it first debuted on HBO in 2019, from the provocative  subject matter — especially given the ages of the characters — to the endless reports of behind-the-scenes drama. Even so, there is clearly an allure to the series, as several of its cast members went on to become major movie stars since the show premiered, yet almost all of them still returned for the show's third season. 

Perhaps it has to do with what some of the stars of "Euphoria" have faced in their own lives, and even continue to endure, that they feel drawn to the dark and gritty series. Once you learn what some of the actors in "Euphoria" have been through, it becomes a lot easier to understand why they keep coming back and why they are so good at playing such broken down characters. The show has won three Emmys for acting across five nominations so far, and it's clear a lot of this comes from the soul.

An early breakout character on "Euphoria" was Fezco, who could have easily been a one-note "drug dealer with a heart of gold" archetype, but proved to be much more interesting and complex than that. Much of this was due to the performance of Angus Cloud, who perfectly balanced Fez's menace with his empathy, and knew how much to amp up which aspect, and when. Fez's arc from Season 1 to Season 2 was one of the best of any character on "Euphoria," with the writers seeming to never struggle with coming up with things for him to do — which can't be said for all "Euphoria" characters, unfortunately.

So it was a huge shock when, in July 2023, it was announced that Cloud had died at 25 years old. The cause of death was later ruled to be the result of an accidental overdose, mixing several legal and illegal substances. Cloud spent years struggling with addiction after being prescribed painkillers, stemming from an accident he sustained falling into a construction pit and breaking his skull. He was also still grieving the loss of his father two months prior. As far as Fez, rather than having him die off screen, it was decided to explain his character's absence by saying he was now in prison. 

If you or anyone you know struggles with addiction, visit The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

When you first see Madeline "Maddy" Perez (Alexa Demie) in "Euphoria," she looks like the kind of person who knows who she is, knows what she wants, and has the confidence to control every situation to her liking. As it often goes with such people, though — especially high schoolers — it is soon revealed that Maddy is battling a lot of demons and that her abrasive attitude is actually overcompensating for how small she is often made to feel. Primarily by her emotionally distant parents and her abusive boyfriend, Nate.

Demie unfortunately had plenty to draw from in depicting a girl who hasn't had it easy and has faced a lot of mistreatment. In an interview with Cultured, the actor explains, "My childhood was not sun and rainbows. I come from trauma." She said she eventually ran away from home as a teenager to escape "a super toxic environment." Elsewhere, Demie has talked about growing up across the street from a meth lab, in a neighborhood where it wasn't unusual to see drug dealers. She has also said that she actually didn't click with other girls the way Maddy does, and instead was bullied by them from childhood all the way through high school.

Most adult film stars find it nearly impossible to make the transition to mainstream acting. And even among the ones that have, with few exceptions, those mainstream acting roles typically encompass cameos or roles in B movies. Yet Chloe Cherry managed to go straight from adult films — from which she declared herself retired in 2022 — into playing scene-stealer Faye on "Euphoria," a recurring role in Season 2 that was upped to a main role in Season 3.

But Cherry's road to "Euphoria" was tough, especially on a personal level. Tragedy first hit Cherry's life at a young age, losing her dad to cancer when she was only 8 years old. She also struggled with being treated poorly by the other kids in the town she grew up in for shunning church, and later, for having what was perceived by others as an unusually high sex drive.

Cherry has also described the negative effect that going into adult films had on her relationships, saying she lost friends she'd had for years because of her chosen profession. She considers that, as well as the pressure to maintain a certain type of body — which led to her developing an eating disorder — as the biggest downsides to her time in the adult industry.

Like most of the characters on "Euphoria," it is utterly shocking when you learn that Jules is portrayed by an actor for whom "Euphoria" is their first screen credit. Hunter Schafer plays Jules with such honesty and bravery that you'd assume she already had 20 film and television roles under her belt. From her complicated relationship with Rue (Zendaya), to the way she managed to wield power over Cal (Elias Kacavas) — something that almost nobody else in that universe seemed able to do — Jules immediately announced herself as one of the show's most fascinating presences. That has remained true for all three seasons.

In interviews, Schafer has proven to be every bit as outspoken and self-assured as Jules. There is little she won't discuss, but she is also quick to shut down questions that she deems too private or inappropriate. And in being so open and candid about herself, Schafer has been vocal about her struggles with depression. She told AnOther Magazine, "I used to deal really horribly with depression and stuff, and I think a lot of it came from being too inside my head." 

She later clarified that it isn't something that only existed in her past, explaining, "Depression has been something I've wrestled with. It never really goes away. You just figure out how to live with it, live a life with it."

If you or anyone you know has mental health concerns, visit the The National Institute of Mental Health website or contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264).

While "Euphoria" is meant to follow an entire group of teenagers and their various friends and family, Rue Bennett was initially the de facto lead. There were few characters and storylines she wasn't directly involved in, and her triumphs and struggles often took center stage in a given episode. Even as other characters got more attention, and have gotten story arcs that had nothing to do with her at all, Rue still feels like she is as close as "Euphoria" gets to having a main character.

Zendaya delivers a powerhouse performance as Rue, thus far two for two on winning an Emmy both times she's been nominated. Between "Euphoria" and her roles in the "Spider-Man" and "Dune" franchises, Zendaya's career has been firing on all cylinders creatively. Unfortunately, that hasn't kept adversity and backlash out of her orbit.

Zendaya being cast as the latest big screen M.J. is considered one of the most controversial Marvel casting decisions of all time, entirely because she's isn't 100% white, which manifested in some nasty racism against her on the internet. She's also been the target of body shaming and other critiques of her appearance, which is sadly par for the course for actors — especially young actors — in the era of social media. 

"Euphoria" isn't just a show about teenagers. The various adults in the lives of said teenagers — parents, teachers, coaches, sponsors, et al — often play important roles on the show. One such adult is Suze Howard. Suze tries to balance being a good mom and a "cool" mom, sometimes going a little too far in the direction of the latter. But she typically steps up when needed, particularly when her husband and the girls' father exits the picture.

Suze is played by actor Alanna Ubach, who, outside of "Euphoria," is best known for the "Legally Blonde" movies, as well as main roles on "Ted" and "Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce." But playing Suze on "Euphoria," where she has to maintain a complicated mother/daughter relationship, proved especially personal for Ubach. In an appearance the podcast Pop Culture Moms, Ubach opened up about her struggles in relating to her own mother. 

"I had a very complicated relationship with my mom, after my father passed away," she told the podcast (via CBS 8 San Diego). "And when she was on her deathbed [...] I was like, 'Mom, you know, I always, I've always known you love me, but sometimes I never, I never really felt like you liked me." It would be the last conversation Ubach had with her mother, who died three days later. "So, you know I think about that conversation at least once a week, it haunts me." 

Rue has figured out how to manipulate most of the people around her in regards to her addiction. But that doesn't work on Ali Muhammed (Colman Domingo), initially just another person at Rue's Narcotics Anonymous meetings and who eventually becomes her sponsor. He is immune to her charms, has no tolerance for her trying to play the victim, and doesn't even attempt to sugarcoat the way he speaks to her. It's the kind of tough love she needs, even if it's not the kind of tough love she wants.

And to think that we nearly missed out on Domingo's powerful, Emmy-winning performance as Ali on "Euphoria." Domingo nearly quit acting after auditioning for "Boardwalk Empire," supposedly nailing the audition but ultimately being rejected over a historical accuracy nitpick. But Domingo persevered, in part because he was used to having to stay true to himself even when it didn't always work out well for him. 

"I grew up in a working-class neighborhood with some tough kids, and you either are a jock or the nerd who always gets picked on," he told The New Yorker. "I loved being in the library. I loved books. I loved playing the violin — all those things that were not cool. I didn't like hanging outside and playing with the other kids, because I didn't want to get beat up."

Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) has experienced one of the most dramatic character transformations across three seasons of "Euphoria" than almost anyone else in the ensemble. She was initially fairly shy and reserved, trying to disprove the assumptions people made about the kind of girl she is. But a sequence of events that damage her reputation cause Cassie to lean into being the villain sexpot, up to and including hooking up with — and ultimately stealing, as it were — her former best friend's boyfriend.

Though she'd already been acting for nearly a decade, it was "Euphoria" that finally put Sweeney on the map and made her a star. Which surely came as a relief to her parents, as Sweeney is definitely an example of an actor who only made it to Hollywood because of their parents' sacrifices. But those sacrifices were significant. "After we moved to L.A. so I could act, finances were a huge stress. My dad lost his job and we went bankrupt," Sweeney told Cosmopolitan.

She also feels like the strain of it all is what ultimately led to her parents getting a divorce. "They always say, 'It wasn't your fault.' It was." It was a sentiment that Sweeney says her brother agreed with, blaming her at the time for their parents' split. 

The transformation of Jacob Elordi from childhood to "Euphoria" was initially going in a direction that wasn't leading to acting at all. Before he played the toxic and abusive Nate Jacobs, before he was Noah Flynn in "The Kissing Booth," and before he was an actor at all, Elordi had designs on being a rugby player. At least, that's what he assumed was expected of him.

Throughout his academic career, which consisted of all-boys Catholic boarding schools, Elordi didn't feel like he fit in. He was interesting in acting, but after his first dabblings in the theater resulted in scorn and mockery from his classmates, he abandoned those passions almost entirely. Instead, he tried to fit in by becoming an athlete like his classmates, joining the rugby team and excelling at it.

Elordi very well might have stayed that course and never gone back to his first love, had an injury not sidelined him. He used the excuse of not being able to play to veer back in the direction of acting, and the rest is history. It's impossible to know how successful of a rugby career Elordi might have had if he'd stuck with it, but the flood of awards nominations he earned for "Saltburn" and "Frankenstein" alone suggests he chose the right direction.

At the start of "Euphoria," Cal Jacobs (Eric Dane) elicits only two reactions from most people: fear and respect. He seems to be the only person that his son, Nate, actually shrinks from. By the end of Season 2, Cal is humiliated, with his affair with Jules having been exposed and him no longer having any power over Nate — or anyone else, really. It's the kind of downfall that is always satisfying to see from such a cruel and hated character, and it was truly a gift that "Euphoria" fans got to witness it.

Though Dane reprised his role for Season 3 of "Euphoria," he didn't live long enough to see it. After having revealed in April 2025 that he had been diagnosed with ALS, Dane died of complications of the disease the following February. He had already filmed all of his scenes for the new season of "Euphoria," so his arc was completed as written. It will serve as one of Dane's final screen credits, and his last on television. His character may not be as missed in-universe, but he will be.