HBO's 'Euphoria': Who is in the cast and who are they playing?
HBO's new drama series (executively produced by Drake and written by Sam Levinson) has a HUGE cast of rising stars including Zendaya and Jacob Elordi - but who else is in the cast and who will they be playing?
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1. Meet the cast of HBO's new teen drama Euphoria
You've probably already seen the headlines about 'graphic' new teen drama Euphoria but don't let the drama overshadow the phenomenal cast. The HBO series, which provides a frank and honest portrayal of teen life in today's society, was written by Sam Levinson and executively produced by Drake. It boasts a huge ensemble cast of young actors, including Zendaya (who is already receiving critical acclaim for her performance) and up and coming actors like Hunter Schafer, Angus Cloud and Alexia Demie.
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2. Who plays Rue in Euphoria? Zendaya
Zendaya plays Rue Bennett, a 17-year-old lying, drug addicted high-school student who struggles to find her place in the world. Of course, you'll know Zendaya from her Disney Channel days in 'Shake It Off' and 'KC Undercover' and more recently, 'Spiderman: Homecoming' and 'The Greatest Showman'.
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3. Who plays Nate Jacobs in Euphoria? Jacob Elordi
Jacob's next big on-screen role will be in 'Euphoria' as Nate. Over the past year, Jacob's star has catapulted. You can see his first big break on Netflix right now in 'The Kissing Booth' opposite his real life girlfriend Joey King and catch him later in the year in the films 'The Mortuary Collection' and '2 Hearts'.
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4. Who plays Lexi in Euphoria? Maude Apatow
Maude plays Lexi Howard, Rue's sensible childhood friend and Cassie's younger sister. Maude's first on-screen role was in 'Knocked Up' as Sadie opposite Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl and also appeared in the spin-off sequel 'This Is 40' opposite Paul Rudd and her real life mum Leslie Mann. Maude can also be seen in 'Girls' and 2018's 'Assassination Nation'.
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5. Who plays Jules in Euphoria? Hunter Schafer
Jules, a trans girl who quickly befriends Rue after moving to town, is played by model and trans-activist Hunter Schafer, and will be her first on-screen role. Schafer has been incredibly active in the trans community and in 2016, she was part of the protest against North Carolina's House Bill 2 that forced trans individuals to use bathrooms that didn't reflect their gender identity.
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6. Who plays Chris McKay on Euphoria? Algee Smith
Algee Smith took over the role of McKay from Brian "Astro" Bradley, who dropped out during filming for the pilot episode. McKay is a young football player who is having difficulties adjusting to college. Algee most recently starred in 'The Hate U Give' alongside Amandla Stenberg and 'Detroit' with John Boyega.
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7. Who plays Gia in Euphoria? Storm Reid
A Wrinkle In Time's Storm Reid will be playing the role of Gia Bennett, Rue's 13-year-old younger sister, in the new series. The 15 year old actress has also appeared in '12 Years A Slave' and can be seen next in science-fiction horror film 'Only You'.
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8. Who plays Cal Jacobs in Euphoria? Eric Dane
Yes, McSteamy himself will be part of Euphoria too. Eric plays Jacob Elordi's father, who is hiding secrets from his family. Since leaving 'Grey's Anatomy', Dane has played the lead role of Captain Tom Chandler in TNT's 'The Last Ship'.
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9. Who plays Cassie in Euphoria? Sydney Sweeney
Sydney plays Lexi's older sister with an infamous sexual past. Sydney was recently seen in the cancelled-too-soon Netflix coming-of-age series 'Everything Sucks'. You'll also know her as Eden in 'The Handmaid's Tale' and Alice in HBO's 'Sharp Objects'.
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10. Who plays Kat in Euphoria? Barbie Ferreira
Barbie plays Kate, a body-conscious teen exploring her sexuality. Barbie is an actress and model who previously appeared in a 10-episode series for Vice called "How To Behave". She also had a role in the Sarah Jessica Parker-led series 'Divorce' on HBO.
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11. Who plays Maddy in Euphoria? Alexa Demie
Alexa plays Maddy Perez, Nate's on-again and off-again girlfriend, in the series. You might recognise Alexa from her roles on 'Ray Donovan' and Netflix's 'Love'. She also appeared in one episode of Netflix's 'The OA'.
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12. Who plays Leslie in Euphoria? Nika King
Comedian and actress Nika King will be playing the role of Leslie Bennett, Rue and Gia's mother. Nika has had roles in 'Two Broke Girls', 'Hannah Montana', 'Greenleaf' and most recently, in the comedy web series 'Funny Married Stuff'.
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13. Who plays Fezco in Euphoria? Angus Cloud
Fezco, the local drug dealer with a close connection to Rue, is played by Angus Cloud. This is Angus' first on-screen role.
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14. Who did Brian "Astro" Bradley play in Euphoria?
Astro (actor, rapper and former X-Factor contestant) was originally cast as McKay in the series but it’s been reported that he quit after becoming uncomfortable with the graphic nature of the show. He was replaced by Algee Smith (The Hate You Give) and his scenes from the pilot - including a sex scene with Sydney Sweeney - were reshot.
