‘Euphoria’ star Minka Kelly pushed back against planned n-de scene
"I just didn't feel comfortable standing there n-ked"
Euphoria star Minka Kelly has revealed she pushed back against a n-de scene that was planned for her character Samantha.
The actress’ character hired Maddy (Alexa Demie) as a babysitter for her child as part of the ongoing second season, and has appeared in a number of episodes.
However, Kelly explained in a new interview that her character description was “actually so vague” when she initially signed on for the role, before her part was expanded, with creator Sam Levinson rewriting elements on the go.
“That can be frustrating and can throw some people off, but I actually trust and feel safe with a director who’s not afraid to change his mind,” she told Vanity Fair. “At the end of the day, the goal is what ends up onscreen. We’re all here to facilitate his vision.”
However, the actress explained that her initial introductory scene was meant to be more explicit, though she felt uncomfortable with what was being proposed.
“[Levinson] thought it would be more interesting if my dress fell to the ground,” Kelly said. “That was my first day as a guest on this new show, and I just didn’t feel comfortable standing there n-ked.”
The actress revealed that her feedback was taken on board, with the plan for n-dity subsequently scrapped.
“I said, ‘I’d love to do this scene, but I think we can keep my dress on,’” she continued. “He was like, ‘Okay!’ He didn’t even hesitate. And he shot a beautiful scene and got exactly what he wanted.”
The comments come after Cassie Howard actress Sydney Sweeney recently revealed that she convinced Levinson to cut n-de scenes for her character in season two.
“Sam [Levinson] is amazing,” she told the Independent. “There are moments where Cassie was supposed to be shirtless and I would tell Sam, ‘I don’t really think that’s necessary here.’ He was like, ‘OK, we don’t need it’.
“I’ve never felt like Sam has pushed it on me or was trying to get a n-de scene into an HBO show. When I didn’t want to do it, he didn’t make me.”
Euphoria is nearing the end of its second season on HBO at the moment, with NME labelling the season “darker, tougher and more intense than ever” in a five-star review.
