Colman Domingo is shedding light on his experience working on the Euphoria set after reports claimed set life for Season 2 was “toxic,” with multiple background actors alleging mistreatment (including lack of meals and being denied bathroom privileges) and long working hours.
In the controversial HBO series, Colman stars as recovering addict, Ali Muhammad, as well as the sponsor/mentor-figure to Zendaya’s character Rue.
In a recent interview with the Independent, Colman opened up about working on the show: “I’m not gonna invalidate [anyone’s] experience. But working in television is long hours,” Colman said. “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.”
Colman, who also stars in the upcoming musical adaptation of The Color Purple, added that after working in the business for so long, hours like that seem pretty “normal.”
“I’ve been in this business for 32 years. I know what hard work is. So when I heard those ‘reports’ I thought, ‘Where is this coming from? That’s just a normal work day’. Be a professional.”
“There’s no one that’s going to mistreat you on the set of Euphoria. Sam Levinson is joyful, and collaborative, and could not be a bigger advocate for his actors.”
But Colman isn’t the only series star to have an opposing view to those allegations. Jacob Elordi, who portrays the disturbed and slightly sociopathic Nate Jacobs, told Variety that the extensive hours come with the territory.
“We’re making movies, you know what I mean?” Jacob told Variety. “I mean that in the broad sense, like this is filmmaking. And whilst you shouldn’t suffer, to me there’s great value in working hard.”
“And for every hour that I’ve personally put in on that set, I can see it when I watch the show, and I can feel it when I’m walking on the street and people love the show.”
Euphoria will return for Season 3 in 2025.