Jacob Elordi Was Basically ‘Homeless’ When He Auditioned for ‘Euphoria’

Whether you know him from Euphoria or The Kissing Booth movies, Jacob Elordi has been involved in some of the buzziest projects about teens. In the past few years, the 24-year-old actor has been making a name for himself in Hollywood. The Australian has marketed himself as a leading man and has amassed millions of fans. But it wasn’t too long ago that Elordi was just another struggling actor.

What character does Jacob Elordi play in ‘Euphoria’?

While Elordi caught attention in The Kissing Booth, Euphoria proved that he could handle more adult subject matters. In the HBO series, he portrays Nate Jacobs, the show’s main antagonist. Nate’s list of crimes includes everything from battery to assault to blackmail, and he’s shown no signs of slowing down. In fact, Nate’s behavior is so deplorable that when he finally got beat up during the season 2 premiere, most fans rejoiced.

‘The Kissing Booth’ alum revealed he was essentially homeless before joining the ‘Euphoria’ cast

Elordi hasn’t been shy about how grateful he is to be portraying such a complex character. However, the Deep Water star is also extremely happy that he is a working actor with a consistent paycheck. In an interview with Collider, he revealed that he was actually in a fairly rough spot when he auditioned for his role in Euphoria.

“From then to now, it’s just been incredibly strange,” Elordi said, reflecting on his Euphoria experience. “I was essentially homeless when I auditioned for it. We were all in these places that were just this very classic Hollywood existence, so maybe it read on our faces that we were dying for it. When it comes to something with this quality and substance, I was at the end of my tether. Weirdly, everything came into place, spiritually.”

How does Elordi pick the TV shows and movies he works on?

Elordi knew pretty instantaneously that he wanted to play Nate. The actor credits Sam Levinson (Euphoria’s writer, creator, and director) for writing a script that was so distinctive and engaging. As Elordi read the script, he could see the scene playing out in his head. In fact, after reading it, he called his mom and let her know that he wanted the role.

But how does Elordi decide that he wants to work on projects that aren’t Euphoria? In the aforementioned interview, the actor explained that he has to genuinely appreciate the roles he’s working on. In the past, he’s taken roles that he wasn’t as excited about and it was a pretty miserable experience. Thus, the actor is determined not to repeat that mistake going forward.

“For me, I just wanna work on something that makes me wanna get out of bed in the morning,” Elordi shared. “I want to do work that I genuinely enjoy because the time that you spend acting, between action and cut, is a minute. So, if you have to live in a world around that, for 17 hours, for work that you don’t want to do, for someone else, and with words that you don’t want to say, that’s hell. I know that, speaking from experience.”