Barbie Ferreira addresses ‘Euphoria’ exit, denies Sam Levinson rift

Christopher Rosen
·4 min read
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“Euphoria” star Barbie Ferreira said in a new interview that her exit from the hit HBO series was a “mutual decision” and not the result of clashes with creator Sam Levinson.

Speaking on Dax Shepard’s podcast “Armchair Expert,” Ferreira said conjecture about why she stopped playing Kat on the series had taken on a “life of its own.”

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“When people ask me about Season 2, they come at me like I was some sort of victim to Season 2 and I’m always like, ‘No, it’s okay, promise. It’s good,’” Ferreira said. “I kind of got sucked into this drama that I never asked to be in and that I’ve never talked about. I’m of the mindset that if it doesn’t exist I’m not going to address it because then I’m adding fuel to it.”

In February of last year, The Daily Beast reported that Ferreira and Levinson clashed during production on Season 2 of “Euphoria” and that Ferreira was unhappy with the direction her character, Kat, had gone. (Kat was a key figure in the show’s first season but was sidelined in Season 2 as other characters, including Sydney Sweeney’s Cassie, were elevated.) Twice, The Daily Beast claimed, Ferreira walked off the set. The publication also reported Ferreira had to leave the set with an ankle injury.

Speaking now, Ferreira said she “actually did not walk off set.” She did, however, mention the injury. “I did sprain my ankle once and had to go get an X-ray. Maybe that’s what they mean?” Ferreira said. 

Of her departure from the show, Ferreira said Kat’s arc was the ultimate cause. “I don’t think there was a place for [Kat] to go. I think there were places she could have gone. I just don’t think it would have fit into the show. I don’t know if it was going to do her justice, and I think both parties knew that,” she said, adding that she didn’t want to play the “fat best friend.”

“I don’t want to play that, and I think they didn’t want that either,” she said, later adding, “Sam, me. It was a struggle to find the continuation of her. So that was actually really hurtful watching it and seeing the fans get upset. I just felt like maybe it’s like I overstayed my welcome a little bit? So, for me, it actually felt good to be like, ‘Okay, I get to not worry about this and we both don’t get to worry about this,’ because it’s exhausting.”

Ferreira announced her departure from “Euphoria” in August of last year. “After four years of getting to embody the most special and enigmatic character Kat, I’m having to say a very teary-eyed goodbye,” she wrote on Instagram.

Previously, in an interview with Insider, Ferreira vaguely addressed the rumors about her purported creative differences with Levinson. “I’ve seen so many different things and a lot of it is untrue and some of it’s kind of like mundane little things,” she said. “But I really think that the fans are really passionate and I do appreciate that because ‘Euphoria’ has really impacted so many people. Sometimes, things take on a life of their own, and they’re not rooted in the truth, but it’s OK because I know it’s just out of passion and out of curiosity and all that good stuff. And I signed up for it. So, I’ll take it. I’ll take the good and the bad.”

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