Sam Levinson Opens Up About Angus Cloud’s Powerful Return in ‘Euphoria’

Euphoria creator Sam Levinson has revealed how the show’s team found a special way to honor the late Angus Cloud in the season 3 finale.

According to an interview with Esquire, the emotional scene featuring Cloud was created using old test footage that had never been shown before. The footage was originally filmed nearly seven years ago as part of a camera experiment and was never intended to appear in the series. After Cloud’s death in 2023, it became a meaningful way to bring him back on screen one last time.

Cloud, who played Fezco on Euphoria, died at the age of 25 following an accidental overdose. His character remained an important part of the show’s story, even though he did not physically appear throughout most of season 3.

Instead of writing Fez out completely, Levinson decided to keep the character alive within the show’s world. Throughout the season, Fez was said to be in prison, allowing his presence to remain part of the story.

“His arc this season is really kind of amazing, despite the fact that he’s in prison and we don’t see him,” Levinson told Esquire.

The finale finally gave fans a chance to see Fez again. During a sequence involving Rue, played by Zendaya, viewers briefly see footage of Rue and Fez together. The scene comes during one of Rue’s final moments and serves as both a memory and a tribute.

Levinson explained that Rue’s journey in the finale involved revisiting important moments and people from her past.

“She goes running, she goes to try to find him,” Levinson said. “As she’s driving, she passes herself, her younger self, and she sees Jules on the bike from the first episode. So there’s these memories that are flooding back.”

The footage used in the scene showed Zendaya and Cloud standing together in a field, smiling and enjoying a peaceful moment. Because the clip had never appeared in the series before, it gave viewers a rare and emotional final look at Cloud.

“It’s footage that never made it into the show,” Levinson said. “I thought, oh, it’d be great to use that footage and just see him again—and see the two of them.”

The tribute carried extra emotional weight because season 3 focused heavily on the dangers of fentanyl. Rue’s storyline eventually ends in tragedy after she unknowingly takes fentanyl-laced pills. Levinson said Cloud’s death influenced the themes explored throughout the season.

“Angus passed away in 2023 from a fentanyl overdose, and fentanyl is an issue that we have been dealing with since the first season,” Levinson said.

He added that the growing number of fentanyl-related deaths pushed him to address the crisis directly in the show’s final chapters.

“I really wanted to dive into that this season and deal with fentanyl, and deal with the consequences and how it’s taking away young people’s opportunity for a second chance,” he said.

The information comes from Levinson’s interview with Esquire, where he reflected on the making of the season 3 finale and Cloud’s lasting impact on the series. While Levinson stopped short of confirming whether Euphoria is officially over, he said he approached the season as if it could be the last.

For many fans, the brief appearance by Angus Cloud was one of the finale’s most emotional moments and a fitting goodbye to an actor whose presence helped define the show from the very beginning.

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