Summary
Overview
Marina Hyde and Richard Osman discuss the return of HBO's Euphoria after a nearly five-year hiatus, a podcast's shocking $200 million acquisition by OpenAI, and the escalating security challenges on film and TV sets from drone operators. The episode explores how Euphoria launched three mega-stars, the new economics of podcast acquisitions, and the cat-and-mouse game between studios and 'auditors' flying drones over production lots.
Euphoria's Return After Five Years
After wrapping production almost five years ago, Euphoria returns for its third season with three of its stars now among Hollywood's biggest names. The show, which brought HBO a crucial young audience, features Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, and Jacob Elordi—all of whom have become major film stars since season two. The premiere's red carpet revealed apparent tensions, with careful choreography to avoid certain cast members appearing in photos together, while the show itself pushed boundaries with controversial levels of nudity and shock value.
- Euphoria is in the tradition of transgressive teen shows like Skins and 13 Reasons Why, making other shows look vanilla and scripted
- The show wrapped shooting almost five years ago, not just transmission, creating significant age gaps for the teen characters
- Zendaya didn't arrive at the premiere until 8pm when the screening was supposed to start at 7pm, the ultimate power move
- There's supposed to be major beef between Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney—they're not in any pictures together on the red carpet
- Jacob Elordi was just about to go back to Australia when his visa ran out, helped a friend do a self-tape for Euphoria, then sent his own and got the part
" I found I was in a place where I could only really go in one direction. And it was a direction I didn't want to go in. "
" You need to take this 100 times more seriously. "
Sam Levinson's Controversial Creative Vision
Sam Levinson, son of Hollywood director Barry Levinson, created Euphoria by adapting an Israeli series and infusing it with his own experiences with substance abuse. While the show brought HBO a demographic they desperately needed, Levinson's approach has been controversial, with actors publicly stating they had to push back on unnecessary nudity. His follow-up project, The Idol with The Weeknd, was widely panned, yet all three major stars returned for Euphoria's third season despite the difficult reputation.
- Sam Levinson had a childhood with substance abuse issues and was asked to adapt Euphoria, essentially writing what he wanted to do
- Sydney Sweeney has said she started asking for her shirt to be put back on in certain scenes because the nudity was unnecessary
- One episode had nudity waivers in the hundreds—more riders than the Grand National, as Marina jokes
- The Idol, Levinson's follow-up with The Weeknd, had an episode three that Richard calls 'potentially the worst episode of television I've ever seen'
- HBO's CEO Casey Bloys admitted he's been 'shouted at so many times over the last few years by agents and managers' trying to coordinate the stars' schedules
" If you're even your actors are saying I pushed back on this and even Sydney Sweeney saying I'm actually asked if I could put my shirt back on in a few scenes, there's something about they are aware that there's a perception that they're being exposed. "
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