Euphoria actor Barbie Ferreira opened up on the Armchair Expert podcast about exiting the Emmy-winning HBO series ahead of Season 3. Ferreira announced last August that she was moving on from Euphoria and would no longer star as Kat Hernandez. Her exit followed reports that she clashed with Euphoria creator Sam Levinson during Season 2 due to the direction of her character. Fans noticed Kats storyline was sidelined in Season 2, and one rumor claimed she even walked off set during a fight with Levinson.
So, for me, when people ask me about Season 2, its usually they come at me with, like, I was some sort of victim to Season 2 and Im always like, No, its okay, promise. Its good,' Ferreira said on the podcast. I kind of got sucked into this drama that I never asked to be in and that Ive never talked about. Im of the mindset that if it doesnt exit Im not going to address it because then Im adding fuel to it. Its taken on a life of its own. Dont believe everything you read.
I actually did not walk off set, Ferreira added about the rumors. I did sprain my ankle once and had to go get an X-ray. Maybe thats what they mean?
Ferreira went on to discuss her exit from the show, confirming it was a mutual decision to leave because her storyline had run out of gas.
I dont think there was a place for [Kat] to go, Ferreira said. I think there were places she could have gone. I just dont think it would have fit into the show. I dont know if it was going to do her justice, and I think both parties knew that. I really wanted to be able to not be the fat best friend. I dont want to play that, and I think they didnt want that either.
Ferreira also noted that that filming a season of Euphoria takes around nine months, and she implied that for a majority of that time she was not able to work on anything else. From a career standpoint, it did not make sense to her to give up nearly a year of filming on a show where her part had become increasingly limited.
I feel like with Season 2 and certain parts of it, I felt was a kind of a struggle for both parties, Ferreira added. Sam, meit was a struggle to find the continuation of her. So that was actually really hurtful watching it and seeing the fans get upset. I just felt like maybe its like I overstayed my welcome a little bit? So, for me, it actually felt good to be like, Okay, I get to not worry about this and we both dont get to worry about this because its exhausting.
Ferreira concluded, Sam writes for, like, things that he relates to. I dont think he relates to Kat. I like Kat, so I get to go on my own path. At first, I was like, Oh, my God, Im a flop. Im a loser. It really has been a good thing.
Euphoria Season 3 is set to go into production later this year for a probable 2024 return to HBO.