Since Angus Cloud’s (North Hollywood, The Line) passing, which was recently ruled as an accidental overdose, Sam Levinson (The Idol, Malcolm & Marie), the creator of Max’s hit show Euphoria, has spoken in depth about Cloud’s history with drug abuse. Deadline confirmed that Cloud passed from a lethal dose of fentanyl, methamphetamine, benzodiazepines and cocaine.
Levinson gave a heartwarming statement shortly after the actors passing had been announced. Levinson said, “There was no one quite like Angus. He was too special, too talented and way too young to leave us so soon. He also struggled, like many of us, with addiction and depression. I hope he knew how many hearts he touched. I loved him. I always will. Rest in peace and God Bless his family.”
However, Levinson recently opened up about Cloud’s issues surrounding addiction during the production and filming of Euphoria and also Levinson’s personal struggles in helping Cloud get clean.
Levinson recalls a day in which he and Cloud sat in his office together. Levinson states that he “looked him in the eye and I knew that he wasn’t doing well. At the same time I’ve been in these situations before where you’re trying to get someone clean. And I just said to him, ‘I love working with you and we’ve got this amazing season planned and stuff, but I need you to be sober because I got to be able to rely on you.'”
Following this conversation with Levinson, Cloud went into an in-patient rehab for 30 days and continued with outpatient treatment for three months afterward. Cloud then returned to the show, but after filming only five episodes, he went back into rehab. Levinson claims his return to rehab was caused by him intervening. He told Cloud, “You’ve got to get help and you’ve got to get help right now.” Levinson and his wife then took him to the rehabilitation facility once episode five wrapped, according to Deadline.
“I could always feel that he didn’t want [sobriety] as much as we all wanted it for him,” Levinson stated in an interview with People. “That’s where it gets tricky because the whole world van want it for you. But he didn’t want it. It’s just the self-destructive side of addiction and it outweighs everything. But you can’t give up on people. I wasn’t going to let anyone give up on him.”
Levinson continued with, “Angus was supposed to die at the end of the first season, but I loved him so fucking much. The first thing I noticed about him was he had those Paul Newman eyes… and his audition tape where he said that his name was Angus Cloud and he’s ‘five foot 12.’ It killed me. He was perfect. I think part of the problem is I would sometimes put actors ahead of the show at times. So I was like, ‘Okay, I can’t kill him because then what is he to look forward to?'”
It’s understood that once the cast wrapped on season two of Euphoria, Levinson told Cloud that he wouldn’t be invited back to set unless he was sober, and Cloud responded with, “No, no, I’m good. I’m good.” Levinson states that he could tell that he wasn’t.
According to Deadline, Levinson “could tell, at that time, it was like he wasn’t interested. He wasn’t going to do anything, and yeah, he didn’t want it.” The tragic death of Angus Cloud is absolutely devastating and he will not be forgotten.