Euphoria was a breakout show in 2019, and it has all the elements of a hot teen series: a bankable star like Zendaya, themes that make it feel more adult than most of what is airing, and a stylish brand constructed by Sam Levinson. The first two seasons were smashes for HBO, getting critical praise for the performances by the young cast and strong filmmaking components. As a result, the cast of Euphoria got more and more famous and the show got popular. But once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Euphoria Season 2 was delayed, and did not air until 2022. Now it seems like Euphoria Season 3 is also facing more hiccups. Actress Hunter Schafer recently opened up about talking to Zendaya about this pause, and how the many hiatuses negatively have affected her emotionally.
Hunter Schafer, like most of the cast, has had meteoric success outside of her work on Euphoria, and was one of the stars of last year’s buzzy blockbuster, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. But much of the work she's been in has been post-pandemic, and the actress recently told GQ about how COVID-19 and the lack of work during that time was something she really struggled with. Schafer said:
It’s really been kind of disorienting
This was made worse by her quarantine location. It happened to be in an apartment across from the production lot where she was set to film Euphoria Season 2, which was delayed at the time. She was in her early 20s with a blossoming acting career just starting, and the situation caused what she referred to as “a mental breakdown.” Schafer explained:
I had probably what’s close to a mental breakdown and then bought a truck and drove across the country.
GQ explained that when she told the publication about the time in her life, she didn’t emphasize the direness of her mental health in 2020. But she later expressed how serious it was, and how important it was for her to seek help. Schafer said:
I remember having a moment where I knew that something was wrong…I knew I needed help.
Thankfully, Schafer did seek help and since seems to be thriving as the world is recovering from what was a debilitating situation for many. Luckily she has friend and co-star Zendaya to lean on and chat about their shared experience. Their Euphoria characters Rue and Jules have a relationship on the series which has extended to Schafer and Zendaya maintaining a real life friendship. Zendaya’s career has also hit a number of pauses, with Dune being delayed a year during the pandemic and most recently Dune: Part 2 and Challengers being delayed because of the Hollywood strikes in 2023.
While both of their careers have flourished regardless of external factors, fans will still have to wait even longer for Euphoria Season 3. Rumors have been swirling around the reasons for the delay, with some citing Zendaya’s dislike of the script to be a primary reason. The official statement from HBO has cited creator Sam Levinson’s desire for perfection to be the reason, and this is truly the case, it doesn’t bother me that Euphoria creators are taking their time to get it right. The cast is able to pursue other ventures during this pause, so hopefully this doesn’t mean any more career stoppages for Hunter Schafer or Zendaya.
Even if the Season 3’s release date seems pretty far off, you can still see Hunter Schafer and Zendaya on the first two seasons of Euphoria, which is currently streaming for Max subscribers. They also both have movies heading to the big screen in 2024, so make sure to check out Schafer in Kinds of Kindness on June 21st, and Zendaya in Challengers on April 26th.
