Euphoria's Angus Cloud says he cried after filming devastating Ashtray scene in season 2 finale

1 March 2022, 12:29

Chloe Cherry and Angus Cloud say filming the police raid in Euphoria was “scary”

By Katie Louise Smith

"I was all bummed out, and when the camera stops rolling, you still have this heavy weight on your shoulders."

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Angus Cloud's Fezco and Javon Walton's Ashtray were undeniable standouts in Euphoria season 2, becoming solid fan faves that people couldn't get enough of. But in the season 2 finale, fans found themselves in tears as the brothers ended up in an intense shoot out with the police following a season-long storyline involving Ashtray murdering Mouse, the drug-dealer.

Despite the devastating outcome of the scene, both Angus and Javon turned out some incredible and powerful performances as 'brothers' Fez and Ash.

In a new interview with Vulture, Angus has now opened up about what the aftermath of shooting that scene was like for him and how director Sam Levinson helped him summon the emotion needed for Fez in that moment.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Euphoria season 2 finale.

Angus Cloud opens up about Euphoria season 2 finale Ashtray scene. Picture: HBO via YouTube

In the episode, Fez and Ashtray learn that the police are on to them. Fez tells Ash to run and says he'll take the fall for the murders of Custer and Mouse. Ash refuses and then locks himself in the bathroom with several guns, ready to fight back. When the SWAT team arrive, Fez is banging on the door, desperately urging Ash to come out and, at the same time, begging the police to stop shooting at a kid.

Ultimately, the intense shoot out ends with Fez watching as the police kill his little brother right in front of him. Viewers don't see Ash get shot, but we do watch Fez's face as the trigger is pulled.

Touching on how he and Javon prepared for the scene, Angus said: "We were just like, Damn, bro, I guess this is it, you know? It’s just a bummer that he can’t be on the show … though it had to happen for the dramatics."

The sequence, which took three 12-hour days to shoot, also took quite an emotional toll on Angus, too. He shared that it was a "sad couple of days" for him after they finished filming.

"I was all bummed out, and when the camera stops rolling, you still have this heavy weight on your shoulders," Angus said. "It was emotional. I was crying and stuff."

Angus Cloud reveals why Fez sacrifices himself for Ashtray in Euphoria

Angus also opened up about how creator Sam Levinson was able to help him summon the level of emotion and devastation that Fez needed for the scene.

"It changes and it evolves. You gotta work with the mood and the gravity and the energy of the room, but I definitely needed the help of Sam to get to that point where I was actually crying," Angus shared. "What he said to me, it just cut deep. It brought up a lot of everything I’ve been through. I don’t know how he knew how to touch my buttons like that. Without him, it would’ve been more difficult."

Sharing what Sam said to him before shooting the scene, Angus revealed: "To be honest with you, it was a compliment. You know how most compliments are like, 'Nice sweater,' or just surface-level? He just told me, 'Bro, you’re here. You’re doing good work.' And since he knows about a lot of the personal stuff I’ve had to deal with, he was just like, 'You know how easy it would be for you not to be here. But you’re here and you’re doing it.'

Angus went on to add: "It’s not often you receive an actual, deeper-than-surface-level compliment about your life."

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A post shared by Javon "Wanna" Walton (@onwardwanna)

Angus and Chloe Cherry, who plays Faye, previously opened up about shooting the scene in HBO's Enter Euphoria behind-the-scenes featurette.

Chloe said: "Shooting the SWAT scene was super interesting. It felt very real. There were a couple of times where it was kinda scary and I thought, 'I'll just be actually scared during this moment.'"

Angus added: "It was hectic. They had the dust falling on our heads. It was crazy. It felt real. At one point, they had the guns pointing at me. I was like... smokes. It was a sad day. Javon, that's my brother. That's fam."

Pour one out for Fez and Ash.