Since the series grew in massive popularity, the public’s focus has been on the HBO show Euphoria for a while now. Something in particular grabbed fan’s attention. The a rumor that the set and production process were allegedly toxic and full of drama and turmoil. But, Colman Domingo, who portrayed Ali in the series, set the record straight and debunked the rumors in a new interview with The Independent saying that the complaints stem from young actors not being “up for the task” of working in television.
“I’m not going to invalidate [anyone’s] experience, but working in television is long hours,” Domingo said in his interview. “Sometimes you work up to 14 hours a day. And then you have to go home and prep. You have to really live and work in a very methodical way. A lot of young actors may not be up for the task or have that same work ethic.”
Domingo then continued, “ continued: “I’ve been in this business for 32 years. I know what hard work is. So when I heard those ‘reports’, I thought, ‘Where is this coming from? That’s just a normal work day’. Be a professional.”
After the rumors of the set of Euphoria being both hard to work in and unsafe, HBO refuted the claims and explained that the production of the series was “in full compliance with all safety guidelines and guild protocols.” Along with these rumors, show creator Sam Levinson was also under fire for allegedly creating a harmful work environment and for being hard to work with. But Domingo came to his defense as well.
Domingo said, “There’s no one that’s going to mistreat you on the set of Euphoria. Sam Levinson is joyful and collaborative, and could not be a bigger advocate for his actors.”
When the actor Barbie Ferreria, who portrays Kat in the series, announced that she was departing the show, the rumors of her being mistreated and even allegedly walking off set started being fueled more and more. But in a podcast episode of the show Armchair Expert with Dax Shepherd, she explained that was not the case.
“I actually did not walk off set, I did sprain my ankle once and had to go get an x-ray. Maybe that’s what they mean?” Ferreria stated on the podcast.
While Euphoria was recently renewed for a third season, the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strikes have delayed production and it is not slated to come out until 2025. You can watch the previous two seasons on Max.