Colman Domingo responds to accusations the ‘Euphoria’ set was a toxic workplace

Rustin actor Colman Domingo has responded to a question about what it was like behind the scenes on Euphoria.

From the creative mind of showrunner Sam Levinson, Euphoria made its debut in 2019 and returned for a second season in 2022. It follows a group of high school students as they navigate love and friendships in a world of drugs, sex, trauma and social media.

It’s narrated by the character Rue (played by Zendaya), who is dealing with her own addiction issues. Domingo appeared in eight of the 19 episodes as her sobriety sponsor.

When the second season dropped, stories emerged about difficulties on the set. Some of these concerned alleged creative disagreements between actor Barbie Ferreira and Levinson. Other stories related to complaints from crew and extras about working extremely long days with insufficient meals or bathroom breaks.

In an interview with the Independent, Domingo was asked if he shared such concerns.

“No,” the 53-year-old gay actor replied firmly. “Not one bit. I’m not gonna invalidate [anyone’s] experience. But working in television is long hours. Sometimes you work up to 14 hours a day. And then you have to go home and prep. You have to really live and work in a very methodical way. A lot of young actors may not be up for the task, or have that same work ethic.

“I’ve been in this business for 32 years,” he continued. “I know what hard work is. So when I heard those ‘reports’”—making air quotes with his fingers—“I thought, ‘where is this coming from? That’s just a normal work day’. Be a professional.”

Jacob Elordi

Domingo isn’t the first cast member to speak out in defense of the show following last year’s rumors. Jacob Elordi plays Nate. In an interview with GQ UK in August last year, he confirmed shoot days could be demanding, but he enjoyed it.

“For me, working on that set is an absolute treat. When I’m working with Sam, I’m in the trenches with him, and I trust him, and I work myself to the bone for him. I think I’ve read people saying, ‘Look, that’s a bad image to set, you shouldn’t have to work yourself to the bone for art.’ F–k that. I enjoy it. … What everyone’s seeing on television, the shots that people are talking about, the feelings that they get, the conversation that’s around the show, that’s because certain shots take 30-something takes.”

Earlier this month, HBO confirmed Euphoria Season 3 is in the works. However, because of the recent screenwriters’ and actors’ strikes that brought Hollywood to a standstill, it won’t hit screens until 2025.

Levinson has not revealed much about what lies in store for fans of the show, except saying season 3 will offer more of a “film noir” feel. He says that through Zendaya’s character Rue, he plans to “explore what it means to be an individual with principles in a corrupt world.”

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