Euphoria’s Minka Kelly on the ‘uncomfortable’ nude scene she asked Sam Levinson to cut
18 February 2022, 13:16
Alexa Demie opens up about the horrifying Nate and Maddy scene in Euphoria season 2, episode 6
The scene in question features Alexa Demie's Maddy unzipping Samantha's dress in season 2, episode 2.
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Minka Kelly is opening up about her mysterious new Euphoria character, and revealing how the role was written specifically for her by creator Sam Levinson.
Minka joined Euphoria season 2 as Samantha, the rich housewife and mother of Theo, who Maddy babysits for. So far, we've only seen her in a couple of scenes involving Maddy, including one when she arrived home from a night out, and one with Maddy in the pool.
Minka was actually only supposed to appear in one episode, but her scenes were quickly rewritten after Levinson saw her dynamic with Alexa Demie.
Now, Minka has opened up about how she got cast on the show, and discussed the scene that she asked creator Sam Levinson to change because she "didn’t feel comfortable standing there naked".
In a new interview with Vanity Fair, Minka revealed that the part of Samantha was actually written specifically for her by Levinson, and she accepted the role without having any idea what she was signing up for: “It was actually so vague.”
Minka added: “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. At the end of the day, the goal is what ends up onscreen. We’re all here to facilitate his vision.”
However, there was one scene that Minka was uncomfortable with at first and ultimately ended up asking Levinson to change – which he did.
In the episode 2 scene where Samantha arrives home, she asks Maddy to unzip her dress. We see Maddy pull the zipper down half way to reveal just a small amount of skin on Samantha's back. Samantha then turns around and thanks Maddy.
In the original script, however, Samantha was supposed to remove the dress completely. “[Levinson] thought it would be more interesting if my dress fell to the ground,” Minka told the publication. “That was my first day as a guest on this new show, and I just didn’t feel comfortable standing there naked.”
She then continued, adding that she was able to voice her concern to Levinson who immediately agreed: “I said, ‘I’d love to do this scene, but I think we can keep my dress on.' He was like, ‘Okay!’ He didn’t even hesitate. And he shot a beautiful scene and got exactly what he wanted.”
Watch the Euphoria season 2 episode 2 and beyond trailer
It's not the first time a Euphoria actor has asked Levinson to remove, change or pull back on certain nude scenes that featured in the original script.
Sydney Sweeney previously opened up about Cassie's topless scenes, and praised Levinson, as well as the show's intimacy coordinator, for allowing her to feel comfortable while voicing her concerns.
"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’," she said in an interview with the Independent. "I’ve never felt like Sam has pushed it on me or was trying to get a nude scene into an HBO show. When I didn’t want to do it, he didn’t make me.”
Chloe Cherry also previously revealed that the original script for her first scene as Faye involved her completely naked. After her co-star Tyler Chase questioned it, Levinson changed the scene.
Read more about Euphoria here:
- Euphoria's Alexa Demie reveals how "traumatic" Nate and Maddy scene was filmed
- Euphoria's Alexa Demie reveals what Maddy did with Cal and Jules' tape in the original script
- Euphoria season 3: Release date, cast, spoilers and news about the HBO series
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