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Euphoria's Austin Abrams says Ethan's dance scene in Lexi’s play took three days to film

21 February 2022, 12:52

Austin Abrams opens up about Euphoria’s Hero dance scene

By Sam Prance

Lexi's play in Euphoria season 2 involves Ethan dancing to 'Holding Out for a Hero' in a role inspired by Nate Jacobs.

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Euphoria's Austin Abrams has opened up about Ethan's role in Lexi's play and what shooting the dance sequence was like.

In Euphoria season 2, episode 7, we finally see Lexi's highly anticipated play and it involves Ethan playing an array of iconic characters inspired by people in Lexi's actual life, including a hilarious version of Lexi's mum Suze. However, it's Ethan's performance as Jake, a repressed queer jock, who represents Nate in the play, that viewers are truly losing it over.

The first half of the play ends with Jake performing a homoerotic dance number to Bonnie Tyler's 'Holding Out for a Hero'. The parallels to Nate are so clear that Nate storms out of the auditorium and breaks up with Cassie in the process.

Now, Austin Abrams, who plays Ethan, has revealed that the choreographed scene took three whole days to shoot.

Euphoria's Austin Abrams says Ethan's Holding Out for a Hero dance scene took three days to film. Picture: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBO, HBO

Discussing the scene with Variety, Austin said: "We filmed that over a three-day span, and it was a lot of work. It took a lot of physical exertion. I was doing that dance a million times over those days. But, I loved the dance, I loved the guys that I was dancing with and it felt very real. I loved the energy exchanged between the performers and the actors and the audience because there was a crowd there."

Austin also let slip that, like many people his age, his first memory of the song 'Holding Out for a Hero' was seeing the Fairy Godmother perform it in Shrek 2 when he was a kid. Austin said: "It’s one of those songs that makes me so happy. It puts everyone in a great mood, honestly."

In HBO's Enter Euphoria, Austin also said: "It was super terrifying but also really exciting. That dance is super sexual. It's a lot of running around and physicality. I mean it was just fun."

Ethan's dance scene in Euphoria season 2, episode 7 was inspired by Nate Jacobs. Picture: HBO

Meanwhile, Ryan Heffington who choreographed the scene said: "'Hero' is so playful and absurd and raunchy. In rehearsal, we tried to make it like a scene where we direct the narrative. Maybe you're a mad scientist and you're conjuring up this big cock to come down."

He continued: "The music tells me a lot. There's this kind of drum, kind of machine gun. I mean, of course, he's gonna jizz all over everyone during that part because that's what it sound like. Towards the end, the big shablam is this big cum shot of confetti."

Ryan ended by saying: "It might make people feel uncomfortable a little bit but I'm fine with that."