All posts tagged: sam levinson

‘Euphoria’ Star on That Surprise Death and His First Job on ‘The Wire’

‘Euphoria’ Star on That Surprise Death and His First Job on ‘The Wire’

Published by Daniella Wilson

[This story contains spoilers from the third episode of Euphoria season three.] The first time Darrell Britt-Gibson appeared on our screens, he killed a beloved character on one of the greatest TV shows ever: The Maryland native had joined The Wire in its fourth season as Darius “O-Dog” Hill, a member of the crew backing rising gang leader Marlo Stanfield (Jamie Hector) — and who promptly killed Preston “Bodie” Broadus (J.D. Williams), whom viewers had been following since the pilot.  “People still haven’t forgiven me for that — my own mom has a problem with me for that one,” Britt-Gibson says with a laugh. “Going out in the world in Baltimore, and just in general, people did not like me. It was a very visceral reaction, people not liking me. I was unaware of the magnitude of the show.” Now 20 years later, Britt-Gibson is back on an HBO hit, again circling various crime underworlds and again spending a lot of time with some OG fan favorites — in this case, no less than the series protagonist. …

Laurie’s Defecating Pig Starts Drug War With Rue in Season 3

Laurie’s Defecating Pig Starts Drug War With Rue in Season 3

Published by Daniella Wilson

[This story contains spoilers from the second episode of Euphoria season three.] Martha Kelly is as surprised watching Euphoria as the rest of us. The comedian and character actor, who received her first Emmy nomination for her menacingly deadpan turn as drug-dealer Laurie last season, came back this year for season three to wreak more havoc for Rue (Zendaya), even with the five-year time jump. This much Kelly knows: Laurie drew her former teenage hostage back into her web, “offering” to employ her to work off her debt, only for Rue to again escape — this time into the home of another drug lord, Laurie’s seeming rival Alamo Brown (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje). As for everything else happening in the show, though? “I don’t know a lot of what happens this season because I only saw my own scenes,” Kelly says.  Much about Euphoria has been a discovery for Kelly, who made her acting debut to wide acclaim in Zach Galifianakis’s Baskets. She came into the show intimidated by the caliber of talent and intensity of focus given to …

How Sam Levinson Brought Back Zendaya’s Rue

How Sam Levinson Brought Back Zendaya’s Rue

Published by Daniella Wilson

[This article contains spoilers from the Euphoria season three premiere.] Originally, Rue was going to cross the border by river. Following the four-year gap from his season two finale, writer-director Sam Levinson knew Euphoria would return with his oft-addled protagonist (portrayed by Zendaya) in Mexico, having made the jump from teenager to adult, still working off the debts incurred during the recklessness of high school. The story had her going back and forth on dangerous drug runs for the unlikely kingpin Laurie (Martha Kelly). But when Levinson started doing research for how he’d introduce this new world, he changed course. “We went to the DEA headquarters in Los Angeles and they’ve got a bunch of photos of drug busts that they’ve done — kilos of cocaine, money, all this — and suddenly I see this one photo of a Jeep stuck on top of a border wall,” Levinson says. “I said to the head, ‘Well, what happened here?’ And he said, ‘Some idiot tried to drive a car over the border loaded with drugs, and …

Labrinth Explains Why His Music Isn’t Included

Labrinth Explains Why His Music Isn’t Included

Published by Daniella Wilson

A day before Euphoria‘s third season premiere on HBO, Labrinth is continuing to speak out about his fallout with the Emmy-winning drama. On Saturday, Labrinth took to his Instagram Story to share additional comments about the series, seemingly in response to creator Sam Levinson‘s recent interview with Rolling Stone, in which he called Labrinth an “incredible collaborator” and said, “I don’t know” why he left after working on the show’s first two seasons. “People will comfortably lie in this industry and still call themselves honest people. So no cap, I decided to remove whatever music I had in it,” the musician wrote. “I spoke to HBO, as far as I know, we are cool. I left because, last truth, when I work for someone, their vision is paramount to me, but I don’t let people treat me like shit.” Last month, Labrinth also expressed his frustration with his record label, Columbia, and the entertainment industry in a since-deleted Instagram post: “I’m done with this industry. Fuck Columbia [Records]. Double fuck Euphoria. I’m out. Thank you and …

Sam Levinson on Keeping Angus Cloud’s Character Alive in Euphoria

Sam Levinson on Keeping Angus Cloud’s Character Alive in Euphoria

Published by Daniella Wilson

After a four-year hiatus Euphoria is back, and quite different than where it left off. Most notably there’s the time jump, which finds the show’s troubled cast of characters no longer in high school but now pursuing their own paths in the real world. At the season three premiere in Los Angeles on Tuesday, creator Sam Levinson noted, “I liked the idea of sort of the wild west of adulthood and this frontier feeling where anything is possible. That was sort of the backdrop that interested me, is who had these characters become and what are the consequences to those actions?” As can be seen in the show’s trailers, the season picks up with Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) and Nate (Jacob Elordi) getting married, Lexi (Maude Apatow) and Maddy (Alexa Demie) working in Hollywood and Zendaya‘s Rue still trying to navigate her way out of some drug-related complications. Another major change comes following Angus Cloud‘s death in July 2023, and how to handle the storyline around his character Fezco. “I loved Angus very deeply and I …

The Testaments Star Amy Seimetz Talks HBO’s The Idol Exit

The Testaments Star Amy Seimetz Talks HBO’s The Idol Exit

Published by Daniella Wilson

Amy Seimetz never fully turns off her directing brain while acting. “My goal as an actor is always to not get cut out of the television show,” she says with a laugh. “A lot of things that are really helpful for me, in line delivery, are more technical on the filmmaking side: What are you cutting to next? Where are you playing this out? Is this a closeup? Wide? How are you editing this?” The approach has nothing to do with maximizing screentime or superseding her actual director, but modulating her performance within a broader context. “These questions can sound like I’m overstepping, but I actually am aware as an actor, ‘Oh, if I look over here, they can cut to this to help them out in some capacity.’”  This yields rich rewards in The Testaments, Hulu’s upcoming sequel series set 15 years after the end of The Handmaid’s Tale (premiering April 8), and featuring Ann Dowd reprising her Emmy-winning turn as Aunt Lydia. Seimetz portrays Paula, the obsessive matriarch grudgingly raising Agnes (Chase Infiniti), …

‘Euphoria’ Creator Sam Levinson Donates K to Eric Dane’s GoFundMe

‘Euphoria’ Creator Sam Levinson Donates $27K to Eric Dane’s GoFundMe

Published by Daniella Wilson

Sam Levinson and his wife, Ashley Lent Levinson, are among those who have donated to the GoFundMe page set up to support the late Eric Dane‘s two teenage daughters. Levinson, the creator of HBO’s hit series Euphoria, donated $27,000 to the account and are top donors, which Dane’s friends launched on Friday to raise funds for his two daughters, Billie Beatrice Dane, 15, and Georgia Geraldine Dane, 13, whom he shares with Scream 2 actress Rebecca Gayheart. Dane, beloved for his role as Dr. Mark Sloan “McSteamy” on Grey’s Anatomy, died on Thursday at the age of 53 from a battle with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He announced he was diagnosed with the disease in April. At the time of publication, the GoFundMe page had raised $184,776 toward its $250,000 goal. “Following his diagnosis, Eric became a passionate spokesperson for the ALS community, using his voice and platform to advocate for fellow patients and to push for greater awareness,” reads in part the message from Dane’s friends on the account. “Even as …

Ashton Kutcher, Nina Dobrev, Sam Levinson Pay Tribute

Ashton Kutcher, Nina Dobrev, Sam Levinson Pay Tribute

Published by Daniella Wilson

Following the death of Eric Dane, Sam Levinson, Ashton Kutcher, Nina Dobrev, Alyssa Milano, Kevin McKidd, James Pickens Jr., Michael Grassi, Selma Blair and Alexander Ludwig are among those in Hollywood paying tribute to the actor. Dane, known for his role as plastic surgeon Mark Sloan, aka “McSteamy,” in Grey’s Anatomy, Cal Jacobs in Euphoria and commanding officer Tom Chandler in The Last Ship, died Thursday afternoon at age 53 following a battle with ALS. He initially revealed publicly in April 2025 that he had been diagnosed with the rare degenerative disease. “He spent his final days surrounded by dear friends, his devoted wife, and his two beautiful daughters, Billie and Georgia, who were the center of his world,” his reps shared in a statement. “Throughout his journey with ALS, Eric became a passionate advocate for awareness and research, determined to make a difference for others facing the same fight. He will be deeply missed, and lovingly remembered always. Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he’s …

Nika King Returning to ‘Euphoria’ for Season 3

Nika King Returning to ‘Euphoria’ for Season 3

Published by Daniella Wilson

Nika King‘s landlord has nothing to worry about. The actress and comedian was confirmed for Euphoria season three following some viral jokes she made during a stand-up routine about struggling to pay her rent due to the long hiatus between seasons of the HBO hit. Now, the network has released a first-look photo (below) of King, who plays Rue’s (Zendaya) mother, in season three, along with the message, “We’ve come a long way.” Last March, King made headlines for mocking the long wait for the new season, since the last Euphoria episodes aired in February 2022. “Season three is coming out … I don’t fucking know,” King said on stage. “Don’t ask me, I don’t know. … ‘We need season three!’ Bitch, I need season three! I haven’t paid my rent in six months. And Zendaya’s over in Paris at Fashion Week. I’m like, ‘Bitch, come home! I need you! Mama needs you.’ I called Taraji, and she was like, ‘Bitch, get used to it,’” she said — seemingly referring to Taraji P. Henson’s statements about pay disparity for …