Euphoria Season 2 Star Minka Kelly Refused To Do Nude Scene In Episode 2

Actress Minka Kelly, who plays Samantha on HBO’s Euphoria, reveals that on her first day on set, she pushed back against filming a nude scene.

Euphoria season 2 star, Minka Kelly, reveals she refused to do a nude scene for the show. The hit HBO Max show continually makes headlines for a plethora of reasons, simultaneously captivating many viewers and deterring others with its provocative storylines and scenes. Hugely popular, season 2’s premiere boasts the title of highest digital premiere performance of an episode since the network’s launch, and the sixth episode of the season, titled “The Theatre and Its Double,” aired on HBO February 20.

On the show, Kelly plays Samantha, the mother of the little boy who the ruthless yet vulnerable queen-bee, Maddy (played by Alexa Demie), babysits. As this season of Euphoria progresses, Maddy increasingly confides in Samantha about her struggles with her sociopathic ex-boyfriend Nate (Jacob Elordi) and the love triangle between herself, him, and ex best-friend Cassie (Sydney Sweeney). Samantha frequently offers comforting wisdom to Maddy and reveals relatable stories from her own wild youth.

Related: Euphoria Season 2 Proves How Great Zendaya Really Is

In an interview with Vanity Fair magazine, Kelly disclosed that on her first day on the set of Euphoria, she filmed a scene that originally intended for Kelly’s dress to fall to the floor when Maddy unzips it after returning from a night out. In addition to feeling overwhelmed at the idea of such vulnerability while still brand-new to the set, Kelly felt that nudity for the scene was gratuitous and didn’t feel comfortable with proceeding. She requested that she instead remain clothed for the scene, telling director Sam Levinson, “I’d love to do this scene, but I think we can keep my dress on.”

Levinson respected Kelly’s discomfort and obliged her request. The scene in question still maintains a charged intimacy between Maddy and Samantha, which further emphasizes the relationship between the characters as Euphoria explores its layered and growing intricacies. Without any nudity, the moment reflects an intertwined emotionality of Maddy’s present as she relays it to Samantha, and Samantha’s past as she reflects upon it. The controversial and risqué Euphoria is no stranger to headlines about its nude scenes and other explicit content, with many questioning if such explicitness maintains a level so extensive that it’s rendered exploitative, to not only the show’s characters but their respective actors. The above incident told by Kelly notably mirrors a similar sentiment from Sweeney, for whom apparently an excessive amount of nude scenes were originally written into season 2 before she asked for them to be cut.

Furthermore, conversations continue to arise about Euphoria‘s disturbing emotional content that explores trauma, drug addiction, and sexual abuse, with many praising the actors’ performances and noting the value of the show’s venturing into previously taboo and stigmatized territory, while others argue that the show treats the issues (as well as the show’s marginalized characters) too callously and primarily values shock-value over evoking empathy. Either way, one can be certain that Euphoria will continue sparking conversation and generating headlines with its addictively incendiary content. The last episode of season 2, titled “All My Life, My Heart Has Yearned for a Thing I Cannot Name,” will premiere on February 27.

Next: Euphoria Season 2 Corrects & Improves Lexi After S1 Failed Her

Source: Vanity Fair

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