Deadline’s Euphoria Screening Panel - May 28, 2020

and look who we have here in all their red glory look at them we have show creator M Levinson we have hunter Shaffer and zendaya how are you guys [Applause] thank you so much for you know being here with us you know the fans are loving the show obviously as we seen in the chat so I actually just wanted to start with with you Sam you know the series you know it's based on some of your personal experiences and I mean how was that just like seeing your own story or kind of a story based on your experiences unfold and play out on on screen you know it's in a strange way it's it's it's kind of cathartic when you're able to sort of take moments in your life that are I don't know where traumatic or hard or you know and find a way to give them away and it's this kind of interesting process where even when we're shooting it's it's sort of step by step it's like you know you can give it to an actor an actor can then embody it then you see it you know as a scene then you cut it together so it's this kind of slow distancing and I don't know there's something that's that's very sort of meaningful about it to me just in the sense that what else are you going to do with all that kind of baggage and other than you know does it you know you got a you got to do something with it and turn it into something interesting or give it to someone you know make it a little bit more relatable to other people or something so and then when you know when casting the series how did you go about doing that and how important was it to you know have authenticity with these roles and make it as personal to you as possible with you know the people who are kind of playing these this part in your I guess fictionalized life yeah I mean I think I think that the key to it as always is whenever I write something and then once I an actor I always like to talk to to that actor about their own life about what parallels their I'm like I'm trying not to look at the screen because I don't want to look at myself it's horrifying so but anyway but but that aside I always try to just sort of have those conversations about the character about you know the actors own life and try to find the kind of common ground and then I always go back and do a pass on on on the character to sort of bring it a little bit closer to to who that actor is as an individual because they think the more personal it becomes to them the more kind of ownership they have over it and at the same time the more delicate they are with the character and the more they they protect that character and care for that character and and I always think that's a really important thing because it it just it's it's a it doesn't allow it to just be a job at that point it takes on something that's a little bit more this you know a lot of people are used to seeing you in certain kinds of roles of course but this is outside something it seems something we haven't seen you in that this kind of role before but what you know speaking to what Sandra's I wouldn't Julie you to the project and what were your first thoughts when you were reading the character Aroo the best way to kind of describe I guess the feeling of reading you know reading the script I think is the same kind of like I'm watching in Orson it's just like this I just instantly felt some this connection to it I instantly I don't like reading sir I've set the story like a million times but I really find it tough like getting through scripts and I had been reading a lot of different things and I just couldn't I couldn't connect to them I couldn't finish them it was the first thing that I not only got through so fast but I wanted to read more and I was invested in every single character not just Roo I want I I was I was really I think captivated by the whole thing and the way it was written and and I wanted to know like I made it and I wanted to like be a part of it and I wanted to you know it was one of those things I think it's like you know you can say it's kind of like you know when you know you know but like I read it and I'm just like I have to but this is something that I have to do and you know I met I met with Sam and that was pretty much that was pretty much it you know I just and I was I was you know blown a blown away at the fact that I was even you know considered an option because I really didn't think that you know I had either done anything up into that point to you know to showcase anything that would present the idea that you know I could I can handle what was on those on those pages you know so that I think scared me a lot but it also I think in a lot of ways gave me a lot of confidence because it was a you know Sam kind of always looked at it is like you know he never he was all heroes tell me when I was worried or doubting myself he's like you're fine I'm not worried about you and I think that that confidence was like just knowing that somebody wasn't worried about me no more somebody was like you got this you know and you know I'm not worried about you that is something that was like oh you know no no I was right you know is one of those things that's like you know inside you feel like you can do it but you don't quite know yet you haven't done it yet I and I cared so much for Roux from the beginning I felt so connected to or whether it be like as a I don't know if she's like my little sister know what she is to me but she's something and someone very close to me and I and I care deeply about her and so as she's making her decisions in life I just you know well how does the role this this role of GRU kind of speak to where you are as you are at as a as an actor in your career um well I think it was it was the first time that I didn't um I guess I just does sounds corny but listen to my heart you know it was that I didn't think about you know oh strategically this is what I should be doing here this is the move that I should be making in my career it just was like I just I just fell in love with with what I read and and the character and there was no no doubts in my mind that it was something that I needed and wanted to do and it was purely just because I just felt connected to it and um and I wanted to be part of something I felt was going to be special and going to I don't know I just all the fears that I had had about maybe doing something that was more you know risky or whatever the words that I think people attached to that kind of step or that kind of you know next level in her career I I didn't think about them at all not at all while we were shooting there wasn't you know um I mean there was days where I doubted myself and I was like can I can I do this but that's like you know that was healthy kind of like prove yourself that you can do it but as far as like the outside noise I really just was so you know we have such a beautiful group of people that I get to wake up and go to work with every day you know so I I had no no other thought then I just was excited to go to work you know I was added to wake up every day and play this character and and be beside you know beside hunter beside Samba science you know everyone at work and and just just I was just living in it you know and that I think was why I think it was able to you know be just what it was cuz it just I didn't I wasn't I wasn't really thinking about the outside role I didn't start thinking about that until it got real when it started coming out people nerve-wracking and yeah and for Hunter how is it for you like when you read the script for the first time and what attracted you to Jules and how was your journey to Jules yeah I think the first time reading this script like almost immediately I was just kind of took at how how real it felt and like how accurate is felt refine I mean it was like my first like full script I ever read so I didn't have much to compare it to but but I mean like a lot of those times when you watch a TV show about teenagers you can tell like like especially at the time I was a teenager I was like I don't know like most teen TV shows you can tell it's like not how teenagers would talk but this kind of like captured whatever wave that was um and then and then with Jules in particular I I think I just remember like seeing her pretty clearly right away like in my head and like sort of knowing what she looked like and how she was saying things and what she was talking or yeah like what she was you know like her energy and it was all together just like an exciting experience reading it and like experiencing those things and um Hunter you are you are very much an advocate for for the LGBTQ community and now that you have a platform like euphoria how do you want that and just even Jules his own story or just a show in general to further that advocacy I mean uh I don't know I doing the show never really felt like advocacy it I don't think that's why like we made this show you know and I don't think that's like why I took took this character on or anything it was more just like like she happens to be a member of that community and whatnot in and and like while I'm really honored that people have like found resonance with that and like and like maybe feel seen or something it was more about just sort of like what Jules is going through it and like like her being her moves her throughout the world in like a specific way that's like special and exciting to tell as a story because I know I would have loved to see this like that's the part of it you know I think you know this question could be for anyone if anyone wants to chime in you know we are living in this interesting time of storytelling where you know going back to what I was talking about so hunter about about authenticity inclusive storytelling and we talk about it a lot in Hollywood and it's not even just inclusive in terms of you know raise LGBTQ but just like even stories that we haven't heard you know and I think euphoria touches on that and again if anyone who wants to chime in here you know how do you think euphoria kind of propels new kinds of storytelling from these stories that often go unheard or this truthful kind of storytelling that sometimes Hollywood could gloss over and kind of make very sanitized and Sacre it's well I think that there's a couple components to it right we talked a lot about authenticity and I think authenticity is important but authenticity --zz you can achieve authenticity just by listening I don't think it's the end all and be all I think that part of what's he is to to have a perspective about it and to have a perspective as to who these characters are I think for instance like the question that that you guys were just talking about it's really important that that it's not that we're looking at these characters from a human standpoint and from from from a standpoint of empathy and understanding who they are inside of this world and also and and I think that's ultimately what resonates more than than anything else is if we're approaching it with this this if if you're looking at the character you're saying this is a fully formed human being she you know she can be this on the page an actor comes they you know they bring more life to it and it's just every step of the way you're breathing more and more life into a character and until until that character becomes a sort of living breathing and human being I think that that's kind of I don't know that's a perspective that I tend to think of it from more so than just authenticity in a way because it's also like there's emotional authenticity there's there's I actually believe that we were able I believe it on the show we're able to achieve a certain emotional authenticity through a kind of visual inauthenticity you know and I mean we're we're we're using very specific lenses are lighting the way that we craft the scenes the way that we tell the story achieves an emotional authenticity but it's not necessarily authentic or real to everyone's experience or early even how the world looks just you know in general it's more of an impressionistic take on it Cynthia do you want to chime in I also you know obviously - always this always ends attorney Mihai had been everyone up but I really do do mean it I think you know something that Sam has been able to do I think with ruh and is this this you know this obviously it's a character dealing with addiction and - for it to be written and him to be so open about his with me and with obviously now the world with you know his life his stories and you know the way you know his brain works Andrews and in terms bruised brain works and I think that you know for example like one of my favorite episodes know episode 7 which you know closely deals with you know I grew in in a middleman episode and uh it was one of my what I think did I I think you know is one of the most brilliant things I've ever read you know and Sam knows this because I've said if anytime soon but I think I think what was beautiful about that is think people's also people's reactions to it because I felt when I when I read it people needed to - needed that episode because it felt like you know putting words to something that maybe or articulating a feeling that maybe you know somebody may not figure out to say like oh my gosh that's exactly how I feel that's what it feels like you know to not feel alone in those experiences to not feel like you're the only one that's going through what you're going through to feel like again back to the idea of feeling seen and feeling understood in in a different kind of way and so that I think was just you know a beautiful look at you know putting words to something I think a lot of people didn't really quite know how to articulate and I and I just thought that it was it was beautiful especially seeing when it came out people people was like connection to it and I think just in general to you know all the characters but really having that human look at and an addiction in what it does to relationships to a family but also still having empathy and and again empathy and understanding for rule because we all we all roof her and we want her to be okay and we know that she's good and we want her to be to be okay like we want her to accept the good in her life we want her to have these beautiful things and so when she does mess up and when you know she does realize she does you know there is we we I guess we we slow for yeah you know I was gonna say one of the interesting things about episode 7 and it was it was and it and it's specific to television and it's just in terms of it I don't think we'd be able to do that in any other medium because we it's when we started shooting the series we sort of with the the fourth episode so we shot everything out of order and I think it was then Zendaya's first day and she you know she got the set and there was a scene between between Jules and row and were you know and we were shooting and I and I kept I kept watching the scene I thought well you know and you know I kept thinking well this is like is it's really fascinating like her physicality her movement here and then at the same time Hunter and I are were having you know these other conversations about where the character goes and where Jules goes and so seven that episode I had written while shooting after I got to know both of them as actors and and sort of these ideas so I started to kind of infuse everything into the scripts and and then while shooting I had HBO wanted me to they made me do so many rewrites on that particular script that I literally fell into a depression on like a Friday night after work one night and I went back and I watched love island for like 20 22 straight hours of love island and I was laying in my bed and it was just it was dark it was really dark and and and then I and then Kevin Turner my producer came over and he said he said what's going on I said do it I don't know I like I can't get out of bed I'm watching a love aisle and everything he just start he was like you just said yeah but tell me about it and I sort of just telling it to him and then you know at that point it just that's what became the whole episode so I kind of took ruzek I took these experiences hunters experiences my oneth and just kind of infused it all in to one episode as we sort of went along which is kind of the beauty of television is that kind of experimental stuff isn't you know film doesn't necessarily allow for it all the time if you're making a movie because you're going to complete this one job and that's it but yeah yeah I think I think with euphoria when I first watched it I mean I am it's not necessarily my generation but the stories of addiction and kind of being misunderstood and being not being seen and crying for help and you can't really get it or you don't know how to get it hey I think what makes you forea I'm not just saying this because you guys are in front of me and I'm sucking up to you but the stories hit close to home for me and even though it's not my generation I think I felt it within kind of your storytelling and with what Roo was going through oh my god I don't want to cry so let me move on from that before I start so you know speaking to that you know the the what and I think you guys mentioned this a little bit already but what was some what is some of the meaningful feedback you received about your character her character or the show in general are there any surprising stories or reactions that you have that kind of just caught you off guard I guess could start with Hunter I'm trying to think of like a specific the girl you FaceTime oh my god that was yeah so she would like out at some restaurant and this girl came up to her and she's adorable thirteen-year-old trans girl and um and she like freaked out with Z's and then he asked Z to call me here um and he texted me and I was like okay yeah sure and then like like so I hop on this face time with this girl and she's like following her eyes out like just like like I don't know it was just like so emotional um and I think like it's like I can see it in her you know just that like it's such a special moment when you when you like recognize yourself on screen especially when you haven't had that for a lot of you you know and and like and you know I think she like convinced her dad to let her watch the show and like just you know like to be able to see herself in some way and and yeah it was oh no you're fine yeah that was that was a big one Sunday you have any any any moments where people have come up to you about the show about Roo I was just lucky to be part of making it happen you know cuz I was just like it was I was like over there crying beautiful moment that I would just felt yeah I'm lucky to just facilitate um but but yeah I mean I mean there's been overwhelmingly beautiful responses I think to people being able to connect to the characters all of them in in different ways again feel seen feel heard feel validated in their experiences which is you know I just feel lucky to to have been a part of just creating it you know and I'll you know I just just very very grateful so um yeah I mean there's nothing much to it other than just feeling extremely like extremely grateful and anytime someone does come up to me it's always like like agains like try not to cry you know to to the work that's been done so yeah I just it's really cool it's very special Sam you wanna add any thing there in terms of reactions you know just kind of look people what you've seen people take away from euphoria um yeah I don't know this kind of stuff that yeah this is the kind of stuff that gets me emotional and I think I'm yeah yeah cuz you know it's just I don't know it's such you know it's uh you know life can be really tough you know and so for anyone that you know anytime I hear that anyone like the lates to it on a on a really kind of deep level like that or or has some sort of or share some story about their own life or you know it's it's incredibly moving because you know I don't know at the end of the day I guess that's it's not it's not it's not why I I write it's not why I direct per se its but it but the fact that that's possible that I can have a feeling and somehow work with such a wonderfully talented cast and crew and make something that's put on a screen that someone else relates to and it open some sort of world inside of them it's like you know that's uh I don't know that's that's pretty cool yeah so yeah I think at the end of the day is about connection in connection with stories and no matter what outlet it's told in I think you know it could happen you know I almost cried here I'm sorry about that guys I'm just going to keep my eyes wide open so this is getting emotional but before you know we have about a couple minutes left you know and you know season two is upon us and you know I know unfortunately you know it's things hold for the time being you know and I I hope things are raring to go and III don't like saying that we're in this new normal I'd like to say that we're in a temporary normal and the new normal is going to be on the other side of this but you know I'm hopefully everyone will get back and healthy and well you guys will start filling in but when that happens and until that happens what can you guys tease that will happen with Jules Andrew and and and this this ragtag group of kids well well so a couple of things about that so I mean look we season two we were we were shut we were shut down on the you know like good literally two days before we're supposed to start shooting and and I think just on a logistical level how we how we get back to work how we do it safely is a really big challenge and it's a huge challenge I think for the entire film community and and a lot of people a lot of people are eager to get back to work and I and it's and it's gonna be it's it's just that we're all trying to figure it out at the same time and so you know I think what we've in terms of from my perspective I think what I hope is I hope we come back and we're able to do season two you know as is and were able to shoot that or start shooting that this year in the event that that's not necessary that that's not possible because of you know safety things or the scale or scope of season two I am I start our bait I started writing I'm almost done but I I wrote like three Christmas episodes that that we're just gonna shoot which we can we can do in a shorter period of time which you know if we were able to figure it out from a logistical standpoint how to do it safely it would it would be great because it'd be great to get our cast and crew back together and it'd be great to you know air a couple episodes of euphoria at the end of the year so that's that would be amazing so that would be that would be fantastic we're you know but yeah there's a lot of there's a lot of a lot of exciting stuff that happens in season two and also these Christmas episodes so that's just what I'm called it's like they're a little bridge season I don't know I don't know what else to say about it I just I had to do something so I just started writing well you know whatever happens the future there is a future for you you're not going to be shot on zoom' don't worry about that on zoom or do something really cool that's cinematic and you know and an exciting but guys thank you - hunter - Sam's and daya and your red sweaters and you know and just for being here and thanks thanks to everyone watching I hope you enjoyed this conversation and we're looking forward to season two in whatever iteration it may be but thank you guys season 2 is gonna be season 2 something extra we're looking forward to season 2 but thank you again so much for being here and joining us and thank you guys for watching yeah thank you that's what thank you miss okay so it's nice to see him no it's nice to see her faces

Channel: Jay's Fansites

Views: 26,607

Rating: 4.9861274 out of 5

Keywords: Zendaya, Zendaya Coleman, Hunter Schafer, Euphoria, Rules, Rue, Jules, Rue/Jules, Sam Levinson, HBO

Id: _V1T8ikTf74

Length: 31min 7sec (1867 seconds)

Published: Thu May 28 2020