Alexa Demie said filming a sexual montage for her “Euphoria” character Maddy in Season 1 made her uncomfortable, and the experience led her to speak up about the scenes. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published on Sunday, the actress said the sequence, which showed Maddy cheating on Nate with several men, was unpleasant to shoot. Demie said she does not reject sex or sexual storytelling in general, but after filming the scene, she realized she did not like how it felt. She said she raised her concerns, and the production responded with empathy, after which she did not have to do a scene like that again.
Demie said she was young when she joined the HBO series and felt pressure to agree to nudity and sexual content because she believed refusing could cost her the role. She added that no one told her that directly, but she assumed it on her own. Despite the discomfort, she said creator Sam Levinson listened when she expressed concerns and that her overall experience on set was positive, even though the workdays were long.
The actress also reflected on a difficult period after filming Season 2, saying she became too method in her approach to playing Maddy. She described that time as emotionally intense, saying a lot was happening in her life and around her, and that the process felt like a kind of purging.
Her comments came as “Euphoria” Season 3 drew renewed attention for its explicit storylines. On Sunday, Sydney Sweeney posted behind-the-scenes photos from filming and defended the sexual content in her own storyline with the caption, “It’s called… acting.” Sweeney’s character Cassie was shown joining OnlyFans this season and appeared in several highly sexual scenes, including one with a movie star played by Homer Gere.
Levinson addressed the topic on Monday during an appearance on The New York Times podcast “Popcast,” saying Sweeney was actually supportive of the nude scenes and had been offered the chance to avoid them. According to Levinson, Sweeney pushed back on the idea of toning them down, arguing that her character was an OnlyFans model and that the scenes should reflect that reality.
