Euphoria actor Barbie Ferreira recently opened up about her exit from the HBO series on the Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard podcast. Ferreira announced her departure last August ahead of the series' third season. No longer wishing to star as Kat Hernandez, Ferreira shared the news on social media. Months later, she details it was a "mutual decision" to leave the series as the character's storyline was declining.
At the time of her departure, speculations and lots of rumors followed Ferreira's decision to leave the Emmy-winning HBO series. Some reports even rumored that Ferreira walked off-stage due to behind-the-scenes drama. Euphoria has recently faced some backlash due to the chaos surrounding showrunner and writer Sam Levinson. However, Ferreira explained her decision to leave was a creative decision as they did not see any way her body-positive character could go on. "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?" Ferreira continued to explain the exhaustion that surrounded trying to keep Kat's story alive in Euphoria.
"I don't think there was a place for her to go," said Ferreira. "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 filming a season of Euphoria takes about nine months, implying she was unable to focus on other work emphasizing her creative career standpoint to depart the show. The Nope actor also shut down rumors of her walking off-stage reporting that she once sprained her ankle and was sent to get an X-ray.
Euphoria follows a group of high school students as they navigate a world of drugs, sex, trauma, social media, and much more. The teen drama is best known for its famous cast including Zendeya, Hunter Schafer, Aungus Cloud, Jacob Elordi, and Sydney Sweeney.
HBO renewed Euphoria for a third season, though no official release date has been announced Euphoria Season 3 may arrive in 2024. In the meantime here's a clip of Ferreira as Euphoria's Kat Hernandez:
(Originally published on Collider.com)