First-time actor Angus Cloud was an immediate standout when “Euphoria” premiered on HBO in 2019, and built that momentum even further in Season 2. His character, drug dealer Fezco, ends up in a climactic shootout when his home is raided by a SWAT team, creating one of the biggest cliffhangers of the season finale in 2022. But in 2023, while “Euphoria” was on hiatus, 25-year-old Cloud died from a fentanyl overdose.
Now “Euphoria” is back after more than four years off the air. The Season 3 premiere picks up after a five-year time jump, with its previously high school-age characters all exploring early adulthood in different ways. And Fez, surprisingly, is still alive.
He first comes up when Rue (Zendaya) is catching up with Lexi (Maude Apatow) and tells her, “You know, you really should call Fez.” Lexi looks uncomfortable, and says she knows she should, but that she’s been too busy. Rue says Fez has told her multiple times that he misses Lexi, and Lexi makes the excuse that their hours don’t line up.
“Just pick up the phone and call him. It’s not like he’s going anywhere. He’s in prison for 30 years,” Rue says.
Speaking to Variety‘s Marc Malkin on the red carpet for Season 3, series creator Sam Levinson said, “There’s a lot of scenes where people are talking to him on the phone. I thought, if I couldn’t keep him alive in life, then maybe within this show I could keep him alive.” He added that Cloud “would be cracking up at his storyline” in the last few episodes of the season. “I think he would love it,” he said.
In another interview with Variety, Levinson expanded on his thoughts about Cloud. “Losing Angus was a tragedy,” he said. “I spent a lot of time trying to make sure that he was healthy, and when he passed, I was very angry. He’s one of 70,000 people that died of a fentanyl overdose in this country in that year. There’s a lot of questions that poses as an individual who’s loved someone and lost them. What is this all about? What does this mean? And I think death has a way of giving life its meaning. You realize how much the small moments matter. The interactions, the good deeds, the way you talk to the people around you. It reveals how precious life is.”
“And in terms of ‘Euphoria, I thought, how do I how do I tell a story about that?” Levinson continued. “How do I tell a story about what it means to be alive and to have the freedom to choose whatever path you want to choose — but there’s also the consequences that come with it? In many ways, this season was about honoring Angus and exploring what the greater meaning of life is. And I think what it comes down to is gratitude. You gotta have gratitude for the small moments, for the tragedies and also the beautiful parts of life. It became the thematic backbone.”
The “Euphoria” Season 3 premiere also paid tribute to Cloud with an “in memoriam” note at the end of the episode that features his name alongside supporting actor Eric Dane, who died earlier this year, and executive producer Kevin Turen, who died in November 2023.
Additionally, the episode seemed to reference Cloud’s death by depicting the dangers of fentanyl in the plot. For spoilers, read Variety‘s recap.
Marc Malkin contributed to this story.
variety.com
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