The cast of HBO’s hit series is filled with rising talents with big projects.
Last week, HBO revealed that the third season of Euphoria has been delayed. “HBO and Sam Levinson remain committed to making an exceptional third season,” an HBO spokesperson told Variety. “In the interim, we are allowing our in-demand cast to pursue other opportunities.”
Though the script for season three is currently in the works, HBO still aims to premiere it in 2025. Several factors played into the show’s delay, including the death of one of its stars, Angus Cloud, in July 2023. Euphoria, like many other series and films, was also affected by the Hollywood strikes.
While waiting to see where the show is headed, the cast has branched out to work on other projects in the meantime.
Zendaya
Zendaya plays Euphoria’s narrator Rue, a teenage drug addict struggling to become sober. She is also one of the series’ executive producers. Her portrayal of the complicated character earned her two Emmy Awards, making her the youngest two-time acting winner in the ceremony’s history.
At the height of the series, Zendaya was also starring as Michelle in the Spider-Man franchise with Tom Holland. Jumping into another huge project, she joined the all-star cast of Dune as Chani.
Following Dune: Part Two’s massive success, her next film Challengers is set to premiere on April 26. Directed by Luca Guadagnino, the movie follows a love triangle between tennis players Tashi (Zendaya), Patrick (The Crown’s Josh O’Connor), and Art (West Side Story’s Mike Faist).
Sydney Sweeney
Sydney Sweeney’s performances in Euphoria and The White Lotus have both earned her Emmy nominations as a supporting actress. Since then, Sweeney’s romantic comedy Anyone but You with Glen Powell became a surprise success. The movie has grossed over $216 million since its release.
Back in 2014, Sweeney auditioned for a role in the horror film Immaculate. When production on the movie failed to take off, the actress purchased the rights to the screenplay and worked on producing it herself. The film debuted with $5.36 million last month, becoming Neon’s biggest box office opening ever.
Jacob Elordi
In Euphoria, Jacob Elordi plays Nate Jacobs, a high school football player who the actor described as a “narcissist” and a “sociopath” in an interview with W Magazine.
2023 became Elordi’s year as he starred in Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla and Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn. The Australian actor isn’t pausing any time soon, as he’s already set to work on Guillermo del Toro’s reimagining of Frankenstein and Paul Schrader’s Oh, Canada.
Hunter Schafer
Hunter Schafer made her acting debut with Euphoria as Jules Vaughn, a transgender high school student who becomes Rue’s (Zendaya) on-and-off girlfriend. Last year, Schafer was in the successful franchise prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. In the movie, she played young President Snow’s cousin, Tigris.
Set to premiere this year, the actress is part of the cast of Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds of Kindness, alongside Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Margaret Qualley, who were all in the director’s critically acclaimed film Poor Things.
Storm Reid
Storm Reid joined the cast of Euphoria as Rue’s younger sister, Gia. In an interview with Variety, the actress admitted that she was not surprised about the series’ delay, though she remains hopeful. “I think we should handle the show with care. We’ve put our hearts and souls into it.”
In 2023, Reid had a leading role in the mystery/thriller film Missing. Set entirely through computer and smartphone screens, the movie follows June (Reid) as she searches for her mother who went missing during a vacation in Colombia.
Reid also played Riley Abel in one episode of The Last of Us. Her memorable performance earned her an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. Last week, Reid shared that she would be starring in Teyana Taylor’s directorial debut, Get Lite.
Colman Domingo
Having previously collaborated with Sam Levinson in Assassination Nation, Colman Domingo was cast in the director’s next project, Euphoria. Colman played recovering drug addict Ali who became Rue’s sponsor. His performance earned him an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
Following an illustrious career, Domingo received his first Academy Award, BAFTA, and Golden Globe nominations this year for his performance in Rustin. The actor also starred in the 2023 adaptation of the musical period drama The Color Purple.
Domingo is currently working on the upcoming Netflix series The Madness as well as two biopics about Michael Jackson and Nat King Cole.
Banner image via Instagram @euphoria.
