From metatheatrics to bathtub confessionals, every character on “Euphoria” is one bad decision away from total collapse, and the only feeling bigger than love is loss (to paraphrase Zendaya’s Rue). But behind the HBO series’ stunning visuals and unflinching storylines lies a potent core ensemble, as well as some new faces rotating in for the show’s third and final season, debuting April 12. Here’s their best advice for actors trying to navigate emotionally demanding work and make it in the industry.
Immerse yourself in your character.
“Sometimes when you find a new character, you have to relearn how they walk, how they talk, and how they move. It’s really interesting with Rue that she just kind of lives inside me; she doesn’t go away. She kind of goes somewhere else for a little bit and I can bring her forward, let her kind of do her thing, and I don’t feel like I’m searching for her…. Maybe it’s because I’ve gotten to be with her for so long and live with her as a character for so long that it’s just like, I can do the Rue face or whatever the case might be. She’s still very much close to my heart in that way where I don’t have to go searching for her.” —Zendaya
“[Playing Jules] has changed my life and the way I navigate emotions, even just in how I let myself feel things. Between getting the role and filming the pilot, [creator] Sam Levinson gave me a key piece of advice: ‘Feel everything.’ He meant that I needed to get myself to the emotional places that I need to for this show. I was nervous about being able to deliver, since I’m new to this. That’s something I’ve carried with me. It’s pretty wild how a job can trickle down, even being therapeutic in a way. Just trusting your subconscious, which can be a really scary place. Letting go, that was one of the biggest things. All of the cast has to go through emotional moments with their characters. I think Sam was so good about making the environment with him comfortable enough to let us feel like we could let go of anything that was holding us back.” —Hunter Schafer
“I stopped building the books for the auditions. I imagined the world in my head and I would prepare my lines and research everybody I auditioned with and watch their work and see what they like, and then go in there and feel it out. Sometimes you think the way the character is is completely different from what they want, and you can’t put that on yourself.” —Sydney Sweeney
Work with the intimacy coordinator.
“Working with [the intimacy coordinator on Season 2] was such a treat. It was delightful; she was so helpful and so caring. She was there for the actor, and it made the scenes just like playing any regular moment.” —Jacob Elordi
“It’s important to always have an intimacy coordinator, even if it’s not a sex scene and it’s making out or something like that. I’m really lucky, because all of my cast mates are so kind, and Sam [Levinson] is amazing. It’s a very safe and incredible environment to do such scenes in, and having the intimacy coordinator adds another level of: I feel OK, I feel safe, and this is for my character.” —Sydney Sweeney
Rely on your fellow actor.
“When everyone is working at such a diligent level, an intentional level, you can lean on those shoulders. The weight is not all on you, even if you are the lead. It’s a community for a reason.” —Danielle Deadwyler
“I don’t do that preparation of: Oh, I need to feel this in the scene. That’s false to me…. I know the given circumstances; I know the possibility of what could happen. But I let it happen with the alchemy of my fellow actor.” —Colman Domingo
Believe in yourself and the craft.
“I’m always in; I’m always really open. I believe that there’s a spiritual element to acting and to writing. And even if Sam [Levinson] and I aren’t speaking, I feel like subconsciously all of the energies of all the cast members and Sam, it’s all kind of blending.” —Alexa Demie
“It all goes back to having respect for this craft, and being a craftsman first. It’s never been about fame. It’s always been about respect.” —Colman Domingo
“Our specificity makes us ultimately ourselves. That’s enough. We get to self-dictate that we have an underlying worthiness just by virtue of existing. Once I can kind of understand that you don’t get to tell me who I am or what I’m worth, there’s a great freedom in there that ultimately frees me up to do even better work, be less afraid, and be a greater collaborator.” —Natasha Lyonne