If Euphoria’s Dueling Drug Lords Weren’t At War, They Might Be a Couple

Vanity Fair: What was it like to go toe to toe on Euphoria?

Martha Kelly: Adewale is a really sweet person. It didn’t feel intense except for one of the shots—but even then, I couldn’t get scared deep inside because I know how sweet he is. I love that dichotomy. He plays a ruthlessly brutal person, and yet when he comes on the set, the cast and crew’s faces light up.

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje: Martha and the rest of the cast had set the bar so high. I’d always loved Martha’s depiction of Laurie—it was so deadpan and chilling, but unforced. It’s the most unsuspecting villain. I’d said to Sam Levinson at one point, if these two characters were not at war, they would probably be a couple because they seem to have so much in common. There was almost a begrudging respect for her because he feels like he brought her into the game, but she’s obviously aspired and achieved her own little empire that now is challenging mine.

Martha, when did you find out that you were coming back for season three?

Kelly: November of 2024. I think it was late November when we got the offer.

What was it like shooting this season? Did you know what was happening in the other storylines, or did you only know what your characters were up to?

Kelly: I only had my parts, and I think that is how it was for most of the cast. I saw the first three episodes, and a bunch of stuff happened I had no idea was going to happen.

Akinnuoye-Agbaje: Well, I’d had extensive talks with Sam prior to coming on board, and I was fortunate to be privy to the entire script. Because of the way I like to work, I was grateful that he trusted me. I held it with my dear life; you know how social media is these days. But I will say this: it’s still so fluid. So even though I was privy to the arc, everything changed as we were going along. Nothing was really set in stone. Scenes that were changing by the day.

You each have your crew. Laurie is working with her cousin Harley (James Landry Hébert), his son Wayne (Toby Wallace), Rue’s friend Faye (Chloe Cherry), and Mitch (Daeg Faerch). Alamo is working with G (Marshawn Lynch) and Bishop (Darrell Britt-Gibson). What was it like working with each of your respective crews?

Kelly: The scene where Laurie finds Rue at the smoke shop, that was the first day I worked on season three. I was so nervous. I met the other actors; I was like, these are young guys, probably Hollywood hotshots. I’m going to be an outsider all day. This is going to suck. And then, almost immediately, I was like, these are sweet, funny, warm guys. We were joking around all day. At some point in the afternoon, the three of them decided to pretend that they were going to start a band together. And they were like, “And Martha, you are also in the band. You have to be in the band. What instrument do you want to play?”