\n\tAt the season three red carpet premiere of Euphoria<\/em> at the TCL Chinese Theatre on Tuesday night (April 7), creator Sam Levinson dedicated the upcoming season of the show to \u201cthose who we lost,\u201d including late stars Angus Cloud and Eric Dane and producer Kevin Turen.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cSome people ask why it took so long between seasons two and three,\u201d he said, according to Deadline<\/a><\/em>. \u201cThere were obvious factors \u2014 the strikes, trying to make a schedule work with our very in-demand cast, but the real time was in trying to figure out how to find a way to pay respect to those who we lost.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tSpecifically, he mentioned Cloud, 25, who played the open-hearted drug dealer Fezco on the first two seasons of the show. Cloud died in 2023<\/a> from acute intoxication and Levinson said the loss hit him and the rest of the production really hard. \u201cWhen Angus died, it was tough. I loved him deeply, and I fought hard to keep him clean,\u201d said Levinson. \u201cThe year he died, in 2023, he was one of 73,000 people in America who died of a fentanyl overdose. I learned a whole lot that year, but what I realized more than anything is that death is what gives life meaning. You can\u2019t be arrogant about existence. You\u2019re forced to reckon with the fact that life itself is a wonder, a gift, a profound blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tFor that reason, Levinson said he wanted the upcoming season of the show<\/a> \u2014\u00a0which debuts on HBO and Max on Sunday (April 12) \u2014\u00a0to be \u201cthe meaning beyond the absurdity.\u201d <\/p>\n \n\tVeteran actor Dane, who played tormented Cal Jacobs, the father of Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi), was able to return for the third season before his death in February due to respiratory failure following a long battle with ALS. Speaking to Variety<\/a><\/em> at the premiere, Levinson said when Dane showed up on set he noticed that the actor\u2019s speech was \u201ca little slurred \u2026 he was a bit self-conscious, and I said, \u2018This works perfectly. We\u2019re gonna put five beer bottles in front of you, and you\u2019re about to say all of the s\u2013t you would never say if you were sober.\u2019 And we just had a blast shooting. We had 28 cast members on Saturday for the wedding. There\u2019s all these people around, and he just showed up with such grace and dignity. He\u2019s a consummate professional all the way through, and I miss him.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAs for star Zendaya<\/a>\u2018s earlier suggestions that the upcoming season could be the final one for the often controversial series, Levinson said he writes \u201cevery season like it\u2019s the last season,\u201d and currently has \u201cno plans\u201d for a season four. \u201cI want to finish this as strong as I can. I\u2019m cutting [Episodes] 7 and 8 still,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m putting some finishing touches. I just want to deliver a f\u2013king slam dunk season.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAfter a four-year hiatus, the new season jumps ahead five years as Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) is now married to Elordi\u2019s Nate and living in the suburbs, while Zendaya\u2019s Rue is trying to pay off her debts to drug dealer Laurie (Martha Kelly). In addition, Jules (Hunter Schafer) is in art school and Maddy (Alexa Demie) is working at a Hollywood talent agency. Also returning are Maude Apatow (Lexi), Colman Domingo (Ali Muhammad), Chloe Cherry (Faye), Dominic Fike (Elliott) and Nika King (Leslie Bennett), along with new cast members Sharon Stone, Natasha Lyonne, Eli Roth, Rosalia and former NFL star-turned-actor Marshawn Lynch, among others.<\/p>\n \n\tWatch Levinson\u2019s tribute here<\/a>. Euphoria<\/em> premieres on HBO at 9 p.m. ET\/PT on April 12 and the season is set to wrap up on May 31.<\/p>\n
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