‘Euphoria’: Were the shooting conditions hellish?

We have compared the opinions of one and the other.

    Days go by, and ‘Euphoria’, which ended just two weeks ago, continues to be talked about… Although this time it is due to conditions unrelated to the plot of the series. TheDailyBeast published four days ago that internal sources of the series team had described their filming as a “toxic production”an authentic “chaotic behind-the-scenes drama”. A disconcerting news but that will not alter the wonderful audience results of the series of Sam Levinsonwhich runs just behind ‘Game of Thrones’.

    According to the magazine, those interviewed defend (anonymously) that the filming of the season was “hellish” and the work environment, especially in certain departments, “toxic”. They claim that working hours sometimes lasted until 6 p.m. and that several complaints were made to the SAG-AFTRA actors’ union. After multiple complaints from extras and secondary actors about their working conditionsthe sources allege that a union representative was sent to the set to ensure that the working conditions established by the agreement were followed.

    So serious, they say, is the situation that many will not even return to the series for its third season, unless changes are implemented important in the logistics of the shoot. One person described Sam Levinson as follows: “Creatively, it must be a dream, but in practice? Come on”. He was referring to Levinson’s habit of arriving on set with a long list of possible shots, from which he chooses on the spur of the moment.

    The HBO chain, behind the production of ‘Euphoria’, has already responded to the allegations with a statement that denies everything: “The well-being of the cast and crew in our productions is always a top priority. The production fully complied with all safety guidelines and protocols of the guild. It is not uncommon for fiction series to have complex shoots, and the COVID protocols add an additional layer of complexity. We maintain an open line of communication with all unions, including SAG-AFTRA. No formal investigation was ever raised.”

    At the Spirit Awards, two members of Team ‘Euphoria’ explicitly referred to these statements, denying them outright. On the one hand, there was scriptconsultant Jeremy O Harrisscreenwriter behind ‘Zola’ (tape of Janice Bravo which won Best Editing and Best Actress). The screenwriter compared his movie to the series: “It’s very similar to ‘Zola’. People don’t see plays that are about young black women, or queer people, so they don’t get big audiences or big awards attention. when they do, [el público] you have to find some hole to criticize them”.

    O. Harris continued: “I think that is something that is happening with a series that had 20 million views and is the most popular since ‘Game of Thrones’. There are no dragons here. She’s just a young black girl trying to fight addiction. I think people are trying to figure out what could be wrong to make this work the way it has.”

    colman sunday in ‘Euphoria’ he is Ali, Rue’s mentor in the series, but he went to the Spirit Awards on behalf of ‘Zola’, for which he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor: “I don’t think it’s anything, at least from my experience. Every time I’ve been on that set there is so much care, so much love, so much creative energy. The reality is that in the television space we usually shoot during days of 12 to 16 hours.

    “That happens in all productions, and I’ve never had a problem. Once again, if anything, they have taken the utmost care in how they treat us with food and breaks, and only care about your schedule, I feel like they hold us in high esteem in the end. I don’t know where these words come from [las declaraciones]but I think that with something good, you will always receive a negative answerso you should be prepared for it.”

    So: Has the shooting of ‘Euphoria’ been hell? It cannot be known for sure. It is convincing that all the opinions of the main cast have been positive for the moment towards the filming environment, while those of the extras have been all negative. Leaving aside the testimony of Zendayaproducer of the series, sydney sweeney she explained that she felt very comfortable on the set, having asked Levinson to remove all nudity that she felt was unnecessary.

    In any case, the debate on the working conditions of the large COVID shoots must remain open, so that, If it turns out that HBO did exploit its workers, we can answer for it.


    Source: Fotogramas