Euphoria Stars Explain Epic Dance Number In Lexi's Play
Euphoria stars Maude Apatow and Austin Abrams explain that epic dance number during Lexi's play. HBO's teen drama mostly focuses on Rue's (Zendaya) struggle with drug addiction and her turbulent relationship with Jules (Hunter Schafer) who, at the beginning of season 1, is new in town. Though Sam Levinson's show ultimately thrives because of its strong cast of supporting characters, some of the most notable are Lexi (Apatow), Fezco (Angus Cloud), Nate (Jacob Elordi), Kat (Barbie Ferreira), and Ethan (Abrams).
Portrayed by the daughter of movie mogul Judd Apatow, Lexi has often felt like she's living in the shadow of her more popular older sister, Cassie (Sydney Sweeney). That has changed in earnest for season 2, as she's not only developed an unlikely connection with the show's fan-favorite drug-dealer Fez, but has now put on a play at East Highland High School dramatizing her relationships with many of the show's characters. Ethan was introduced in season 1 as Kat's love interest, and though he has been sidelined for much of season 2, he came roaring back for episode 7 playing a prominent role in Lexi's momentous autobiographical theatrical production, "Our Life."
Now, during an interview with Variety, Apatow and Abrams opened up about that epic dance number. Both episode 7 and Lexi's play ends on a high note as Ethan and other East Highland students appear in semi-clad football attire for a homoerotic dance sequence set to the tune of Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out for a Hero.” Abrams had a blast filming the scene, while Apatow reveals that "Our Life" was "loosely inspired" by her own high school play that she produced, adding another layer to the show's meta-performance. Read what the Euphoria stars had to say below:
Abrams: 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. It’s one of those songs that makes me so happy. It puts everyone in a great mood, honestly.
Apatow: It was loosely inspired by my high school play that I produced. Everyone in the theater department hated me, but I really wanted to do a good job. It took a long time to film that sequence because it was so complicated. There were a lot of audience shots to consider… Sam had to make sure that the shots in the play connected to real memories and they had to be perfectly timed and interwoven. We felt really good about it in the moment.
The play's final dance number is inspired by and intended as an over-the-top roast of Nate Jacobs, the school's star quarterback who struggles with his own sexuality. Despite being a nuanced character himself, Nate is the closest the show has to a villain due to his volatile temper and continual abuse of his ex-girlfriend, Maddy (Alexa Demie). Though Nate has tried to turn the corner in recent episodes by voluntarily returning a stolen sex tape to Jules, Lexi's play appeared to dig up some traumatic feelings for him.
As the audience cheers on the play's provocative dance number, Nate storms out of the auditorium and deems it homophobic, which legitimately calls into question the content of Lexi's play. Once a wallflower, Lexi has now catapulted herself to the forefront of the show's conflict thanks to "Our Life." How Nate responds to being put on full blast in front of a packed auditorium remains to be seen in the Euphoria season 2 finale.
Source: Variety