Twitter may have it out for Euphoria creator Sam Levinson, but his defenders are just as passionate. The writer-director (and son of director Barry Levinson) is “joyful, and collaborative, and could not be a bigger advocate for his actors,” according to Colman Domingo in a new interview with The Independent. Further, “There’s no one that’s going to mistreat you on the set of Euphoria,” he says, denying that 2022 Daily Beast report about chaos behind the scenes of the hit HBO show.
“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,” the Rustin star explains. “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.”
Domingo, on the other hand, has “been in this business for 32 years” and knows “what hard work is.” When news of Euphoria messiness broke, “I thought, ‘where is this coming from? That’s just a normal work day.’ Be a professional,” says.
Given that he’s one of the older, more seasoned professionals on the Euphoria set, there’s a sense that his response is a little bit dismissive of making the workplace better—“if my generation had to deal with tough conditions, yours can too” kind of attitude. But Domingo is unafraid to push for better workplace conditions if he feels the situation calls for it. He did so on Fear The Walking Dead, where he rose to become a director and producer: “On a long-running show, some things can get messy, some things you have to advocate for,” he shares. “You have to advocate for time, making sure things are working in an efficient way. Or good food. I can’t do my job unless I’m healthy and warm. I like to show up and know that I’m gonna have a good day. I don’t wanna fight many fights.” Ipso facto, Euphoria must be keeping him healthy and warm—sorry to all the haters out there.