‘Euphoria’ Star Barbie Ferreira Denies Walking Off Set and Explains Exit: I Don’t Just Want to Be the ‘Fat Best Friend’
“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 Kat’s 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, it’s usually they come at me with, like, I was some sort of victim to Season 2 and I’m always like, ‘No, it’s okay, promise. It’s good,'” Ferreira said on the podcast. “I kind of got sucked into this drama that I never asked to be in and that I’ve never talked about. I’m of the mindset that if it doesn’t exit I’m not going to address it because then I’m adding fuel to it. It’s taken on a life of its own. Don’t believe everything you read.”
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“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 that’s 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 don’t think there was a place for [Kat] to go,” Ferreira said. “I think there were places she could have gone. I just don’t think it would have fit into the show. I don’t 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 don’t want to play that, and I think they didn’t 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, me…it 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 it’s 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 don’t get to worry about this’ because it’s exhausting.”
Ferreira concluded, “Sam writes for, like, things that he relates to. I don’t 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, I’m a flop. I’m 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.
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