THR covers "tragedy and trauma" around "Euphoria"; Zendaya and Sam Levinson reportedly on the outs
What's ailing #Euphoria?
How a sudden death, a fractured partnership and mounting friction between star Zendaya and creator Sam Levinson almost derailed the HBO hit: https://t.co/ZTEWfXB6nd pic.twitter.com/2IDNzaaxF0
- The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) July 23, 2024
• The vibes surrounding Euphoria have gotten so bad that THR dedicated a whole ass cover story to the mess.
• The article opens with the November 2023 death of notable producer Kevin Turen, a notable film producer who also worked as an executive producer on Euphoria. His funeral was very well attended, with A-Listers like Robert Pattinson and Andrew Garfield attending the service, and Zendaya attending the reception. Sam Levinson, who had been a close friend of Turen's and had a production company together (Little Lamb Productions) was absent.
• Levinson had cut ties with Turen earlier in 2023, to reasons that "were mysterious to all but a handful of close associates," and Turen's family made it clear that Levinson and his wife Ashley were not welcome at the funeral. They blamed Levinson in part for Turen's death, as he had been put under enormous financial strain after losing his lucrative HBO deal and that the severing of his and Levinson's partnership had put him under "inordinate" additional stress.
• A24 and Levinson's agent at WME/Turen's close friend paid for Turen's burial plot, while HBO paid for the reception.
• Before the severing of their personal and professional relationship, people had noted that the pair were a "study in contrasts." A person close to both men says that Turen was "gregarious, outgoing guy...wasn't abusive, wasn't a yeller," while Levinson is, "big, successful, aloof, somewhat narcissistic artist." The source went on to say that people resent Levinson, "for lots of reasons" while no one resented Kevin.
• A source who worked on a Levinson-Turen production told THR, "Sam was so stressful to everyone around him. He is a person who needs to be handled." The source adds that Levinson has an obsessive quality and that he has, "no off button. He would shoot all night, if he could. He always wants to push boundaries and shock people a little bit. He needs someone to curate his thoughts and ideas."
• The article ends with a tidbit about the Levinsons holding their own, private memorial service for Turen after having been barred from his funeral. The invitees included Levinson's agent, manager, and publicist who had all been close friends with Turen. The split between Levinson and Turen caused them "not only professional but great personal grief."
• The source of their mysterious rift has allegedly been attributed to a multitude of reasons. One person, "assumed Turen had finally walked away from the constant demands of catering to Levinson," but was told by Turen that Levinson had cut ties. Turen told this person, "[Levinson] didn't like that I was working with another filmmaker." The source says that Turen didn't wnt to say anything else, "he was heartbroken...he was so loyal to Sam."
• Several other sources say the split came about because Turen was producing a movie for The Weeknd (the one starring The Weeknd and Jenna Ortega). The $20 million film was financed by Live Nation and is reportedly toxic. It has been sitting in postproduction for a year with no interested buyers. The sources say Turen did not tell Levinson about the project and Levinson felt betrayed. He felt, "the movie was competing with The Idol."
• Another source that counts the two as friends say Turen had taken projects on before without informing Levinson but that "this time it wasn't okay." Turen allegedly contended that he had told Ashley Levinson about the project but that she had expressed no interest and so she never mentioned it to her husband. Other sources say that Ashley, "denied knowing anything about the movie."
• And still, it may not be the source of the rift. A talent rep who represents someone working on the Weekend/Ortega film says, "who cares? You don't own Kevin. I think Sam wanted to blame someone for the failure of The Idol."
• Levinson was riding high heading into Cannes in May 2023. He had officially split with Turen, and Turen was barred from attending the premiere and press at Cannes despite the fact that he was the one to bring the project to Levinson and was an executive producer on the show.
• One associate tells THR, "Sam was on top of the world. He got everything he wanted. His ego was unstoppable.”
• A press conference was set for the day after the show's premiere (the premiere had led to an afterparty that raged until 5:00am). There were questions about the Rolling Stone article. The Idol star Lily Rose Depp perfectly deflected the question saying the piece, "was not reflective at all of my experience shooting the show."
• Levinson also refuted the article and then uttered the now infamous quote: "I think we're about to have the biggest show of the summer."
• But Rolling Stone was right, the show had been embroiled in even more disaster than previously thought. Levinson was only meant to have limited involvement, only having written the pilot on spec. The show was greenlighted quickly "despite teh skepticism" of some HBO execs.
• Amy Seimetz (co-creator of The Girlfriend Experience) was brought on to direct every episode and Joe Epstein would oversee the writers room. Seimetz had shot five and a half of the six episodes of the season before The Weeknd "soured" on the work and asked Levinson to get involved.
• HBO threw away all of Seimetz's work, an estimated $60 million right out the window. Starting from scratch halfway through the planned production time, HBO allowed The Weeknd and Levinson to come up with a different story and Levinson was able to step in as writer and director of the revamped show.
• The Weeknd did not respond to a request for comment in this story, but previously told Vanity Fair that Seimetz left the project due to scheduling conflicts. Seimetz has never gone on record or given a comment with regards to the show.
• Someone who worked on the earlier versions says that it was shocking how much lattitude HBO was giving Levinson. "I know Euphoria's a hit, but it's not Game of Thrones."
• In addition to the fraying and eventual tragic end of Levinson's relationship with Turen, Levinson's relationship with Zendaya has also started to fall apart.
• THR say that Zendaya was, "a close Levinson acolyte," who would frequently hang out at Levinson's home. But the friendship has cooled off in a big way. The author of the piece refers to Levinson as a "mercurial filmmaker" which reflects what an insider says next. "as [Zendaya] pulled away, Levinson began to resent her."
• The article also states that Levinson's wife, Ashley Levinson, took on Turen's duties at Little Lamb productions, but that she "brings a more aggressive personality to the work," than Turen ever did.
• Again, there's a moment in the article where the author makes it clear that Zendaya and Levinson "were thick as thieves" during the production of the first two seasons. A source says, "she found him to be an inspiring director and she knew she was embodying him," through her role as Rue, the protagonist of Euphoria.
• Zendaya even shadowed Levinson on the set of season two with the hopes of directing an episode in season 3.
• The turning point in the relationship came after Turen and Levinson meet The Weeknd aka Abel Tesfaye. Turen was the one who initially connected with the pop star, but eventually he became a friend to both Turen and Levinson, and the feeling was mutual as Tesfaye wanted to further break into serious acting. So they signed on to produce The Idol. Levinson wrote the spec script for the pilot, "but was not supposed to spend too much time on the project because he was still occupied with Euphoria's season two; other writers and directors would handle the heavy lifting. But with Levinson, things often don't go as planned."
• Zendaya reportedly grew more and more frustrated as Levinson wasted time on The Idol, and he was not delivering scripts for Euphoria's third season. Reportedly, the scripts are STILL a work in progress now.
• Zendaya was so upset with the situation that she asked for a meeting with HBO CEO Casey Bloys and HBO Drama Chief Francesca Orsi. Zendaya demanded, "to know why the network allowed Levinson to turn to another show - an HBO show, no less - with Euphoria hanging in the balance."
• Her frustrations deepened in early 2023 after Rolling Stone published a long piece on the extremely, "disgustingly, disturbingly off the rails," Idol production. Zendaya was swept into the backlash for a project she had nothing to do with and a project she hadn't wanted Levinson to do anyways.
• A source says that Zendaya, "closely tracks the mood on social media," and an executive who has dealt with her says that, "[Zendaya's] image is pristine. And fans were turning against Sam," and urging her to distance herself.
• In the months that followed, the relationship continued to curdle and another meeting was held at HBO between Zendaya, Levinson, Bloys and Orsi in the hopes to bring about a reconciliation between the pair. The rift goes deeper though. Zendaya has told HBO execs that she does not want Ashley Levinson to be the only executive producer on season three.
• Zendaya isn't the only one who resents working with Ashley. Sources say that without
a Turen to balance the Levinson's out, Ashley is, "more sharp-elbowed than conciliatory, and, above all, fiercely protective of her husband."
• A talent representative with a client on Euphoria tells THR, "Sam needs somebody else besides Ashley. He needs a voice of reason, and Kevin was a genius at that." Another insider adds, "Sam really is a big talent, but he needs managing, and if you're a spouse, it's tough. He needs boundaries, he needs deadlines. It's hard for a spouse to set limits. You're setting yourself up for failure."
• But Levinson sources are going hard on Zendaya too. A source close to him blamed Zendaya, "for dragging her feet with an eye toward a burgeoning film career." Another source claims, "It was all about [Zendaya]. Everybody wanted to make it about Sam, but it was her."
• The article also reconfirms that Zendaya and HBO both rejected Levinson's Veronica Mars-esque plan for season 3 (Rue as private detective), and that Zendaya's idea of Rue being a surrogate mother was also a nonstarter. Some HBO sources are claiming that things are starting to thaw between the two, and that there's is an "inkling" of an idea has taken seed. One person closely involved with the show says, "good luck to us. Who knows what the hell will happen."
• A few weeks ago, HBO announced that all the key cast members had signed on for Euphoria season 3, and they were aiming to start filming in January.
• But they can't escape the chaos that comes with a Levinson production. HBO chief Casey Bloys and head of drama Francesca Orsi have to wrangle the show together and keep it together over the long production period. THR says, "it might be the ultimate executive challenge: persuading various difficult talents to row in the same direction after there have been real or perceived betrayals of trust. And there has been tragedy - the real kind."
• While Levinson was dealing with the failure of The Idol, another blow was dealt. On July 31, 2023 Angus Cloud, who played Fezco on Euphoria, passed away from an overdose of a dangerous drug cocktail of methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, and benzodiazepines. Levinson, a sober addict, had tried to help Cloud get clean. There were interventions, and HBO sent him to rehab. After his death, Levinson released a statement saying, "He was too special, too talented and way too young to leave us so soon. I hope he knew how many hearts he touched. I loved him. I always will.”
• A few months later, Turen also suddenly passed away. Before their split (which again, shocked a ton of people) the two were inseparable. Journalist and screenwriter Nick Bilton who shadowed Levinson on The Idol remembers that Turen was breaking story and very encouraging of the process.
• Other sources say that even with Turen in the picture, Levinson was an obsessive and hard to control. Levinson has a tendency of, "firing out ideas, writing and rewriting at lightning speed, wanting to shoot for hours on end and missing budget and schedule targets."
• His obsessiveness led to repeated changes in personnel, and Levinson ending up with complete creative control of projects.
• Euphoria was originally set to have multiple directors and writers. One of them was supposed to be Canadian photographer and artist Petra Collins who, in a September 2023 interview, alleged that Levinson had told her Euphoria had been inspired by her work and that he wanted her to come in and direct. Collins told the interviewer that she spent five months working on the show's aesthetic and casting, but then being told she couldn't direct for the show because she was "too young"
• She claims the show still used her work and aesthetic. She told the interviewer, "This was the aesthetic that I built all my life and now I have to change it because it [entered] the mainstream and it’s been taken away from me.” Levinson declined to comment on the matter, but "a source close" to him told The Daily Beast, "As a fan of hers, he was hoping there was a possibility they could work together in that way. But by no means was anything promised.”
• Director Augustine Frizzell (Never Goin' Back, Sweetbitter), was hired to do the pilot but a source says, "Sam was over her shoulder the whole time." The source also adds that reps from the DGA were on set at least twice because of his interference.
• Another insider said, “sometimes he was totally cool and chill, [but then] he was pacing and vaping and wringing his hands that he wasn’t the one directing the show. By season two, we realized that he was never going to have any other directors” work on the show. There were only two other directors on season one, Jennifer Morrison and Piper Bianco.
• op thinks it's notable to point out that sam levinson has a habit of pushing out female directors, but maybe that's just a coincidence?
• Season one of the show ran late thanks to Levinson's insistence on writing and directing the majority of the season, costing several more than the planned $6 million per episode, and that "every day was a fight," but it proved to be a hit on arrival. Season two, completely written and directed by Levinson, drew more than 16 million viewers per episode, HBOs second most-watched show at the time after Game of Thrones.
• People were obsessed with the drama the show brought, in front of the camera and behind the scenes. The Daily Beast ran a story during the airing of season two about allegations of a toxic set, and writer Bilton defends Levinson. "There's an agenda with Sam that I think is fucking bizarre. I've never seen this kind of microscope applied to anyone else. He’s not taking sides in politics. He’s making content that ruffles people’s feathers.”
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