Euphoria star Barbie Ferreira says leaving show was ‘mutual decision’

By Imy Brighty-Potts, PA

Euphoria actress Barbie Ferreira has said her departure from the show was a “mutual decision”.

The 26-year-old was a guest on the Armchair Expert podcast hosted by Dax Shepard and Monica Padman, where she explained her experience on the gritty teen HBO drama, set to begin filming season three this year.

Nope actress Ferreira played Kat, the best friend of Maddy, played by Alexa Demie, and Cassie, played by Sydney Sweeney.

She said: “I don’t think there was a place for (Kat) to go. I think there were places she could have gone. I just don’t think it would have fit into the show.

“I don’t know if it was going to do her justice, and I think both parties knew that.

“I really wanted to be able to not be the fat best friend. I don’t want to play that, and I think they didn’t want that either.

“I feel like with season two and certain parts of it, I felt was a kind of a struggle for both parties.”

Having been in the show since 2019, Ferreira said she felt “it was a struggle to find the continuation of her”, both as an actress and for the writer Sam Levinson.

She added: “I just felt like maybe it’s like I overstayed my welcome a little bit.

“So, for me, it actually felt good to be like, ‘Okay, I get to not worry about this and we both don’t get to worry about this’ because it’s exhausting.”

Ferreira said that Levinson writes for “things that he relates to”, before adding: “I don’t think he relates to Kat.”

“I like Kat, so I get to go on my own path,” she said.

“At first, I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I’m a flop. I’m a loser.’ It really has been a good thing.”

Her comments come following reports suggesting a reduction in screen time in season two was a factor in her leaving the show ahead of season three.

She said: “When people ask me about season two, it’s usually they come at me with, like, I was some sort of victim to season two and I’m always like, ‘No, it’s okay, promise. It’s good,’

“I kind of got sucked into this drama that I never asked to be in and that I’ve never talked about.

“I’m of the mindset that if it doesn’t exist I’m not going to address it because then I’m adding fuel to it. It’s taken on a life of its own. Don’t believe everything you read.”