Alexa Demie Reveals ‘Euphoria’s’ Nudity Was ‘Tough’: ‘It Was Hard for Me’
Since it premiered back in June 2019, Euphoria has become something of a phenomenon. The show has made household names of its ensemble cast members like Hunter Schafer and Alexa Demie. Meanwhile, the show’s headliner, Zendaya, earned an Emmy for her performance in season 1. The show has also been championed for its stunning cinematography and for its dialogue surrounding addiction.
But Euphoria has received its fair share of criticism also, especially in its sophomore season. Recently, some fans have expressed discontent with the amount of nudity in the show. Many viewers believe that the nudity in the series is gratuitous, especially since the show follows a group of high school students.
Alexa Demie wasn’t comfortable with the nudity that ‘Euphoria’ required
Though Euphoria has an intimacy coordinator on set to help ensure that the cast feels safe when shooting intimate scenes, there was still some initial discomfort around the nudity. In an interview with Vogue, Demie admitted that being nude for her role in the show was very difficult for her at first. Demie, of course, portrays the formidable Maddy Perez in the show and has had her fair share of nude scenes.
“When I read the script I was like this all makes sense and I want to do it,” Demie shared of Euphoria. “The nudity was — it was tough for me because I’m, you know, I’m not really… I’m just not comfortable like that publicly. So it was hard for me. But it definitely, like I said, pulled me out of my comfort zone, and after I did it, I watched it and it’s just…it’s not that serious.”
Sydney Sweeney rejected her initial audition to play Cassie Howard
And Demie isn’t the only member of the Euphoria cast who initially struggled with the nudity that their role required. In fact, Sydney Sweeney, who plays Cassie Howard, was originally so uncomfortable by the nudity and the show’s subject matter that she passed on her initial audition for a place in the cast.
“What’s crazy—and this is going to sound really bad—is when I first got sent the audition, I was too nervous to go do it,” the Sweeney told StyleCaster about Euphoria. “I grew up in a smaller town with my family, who are a little more conservative, and I was like, ‘They’re going to kill me if I do something like this.'” It was only when the audition made its way to Sweeney again that she decided to go for it.
Sweeney ended up doing her ‘Euphoria’ audition after it got sent to her a second time
“The audition got sent again to me,” she revealed. “I read it again, and I was like, ‘This is so incredible. How could I pass an opportunity like this?’ I’ll just really try to explain this to my mom one day. I put myself on tape. I didn’t even go in, and I ended up booking it off the tape.”
It’s understandable that Demie and Sweeney were unsure about the nudity that Euphoria requires. Hopefully, the actors feel safe and protected when they’re shooting the intimate scenes that the show demands.
