Sam Levinson saved Angus Cloud’s Euphoria character from death twice to help the late actor

In fact, Levinson revealed that Cloud’s character, drug dealer Fezco, was supposed to die twice – but he couldn’t!

“Angus was supposed to die at the end of the first season, but I loved him so much,” Levinson said People in a new interview in which he pays partial tribute to his “Paul Newman eyes.” But it was about more than just his looks or how good he was in the role.

“It killed me…He was perfect,” Levinson said of Cloud. “I think part of the problem is that sometimes I put actors at the forefront of the show. So I thought, ‘Okay, I can’t kill him because then what does he have to look forward to?'”

During their time together, Levinson took Cloud under his wing after realizing that Cloud was struggling with addiction. Levinson was open about his own addiction issues in the past, so it was something he definitely understood.

“I looked into his eyes and knew he wasn’t okay,” Levinson said. “At the same time, I’ve seen situations like this before where you’re trying to clean someone up.”

Levinson said he made it very clear to Cloud, telling him, “I love working with you and we’ve got this great season planned and stuff, but I need you to be sober because I can count on you.” .” .”

With the help of HBO, which reportedly paid for it, he managed to get Cloud to agree to 30 days of inpatient treatment. Unfortunately, according to Levinson, Cloud suffered a relapse midway through season two, which led to surgery and him entering rehab.

While this was happening, Levinson said that the same scenario was playing out as when planning the second season, with Cloud’s character set to die again after playing a significant role in the first half of the season. But once again Levinson went to the mat for the young star.

“I could just see the blood draining from his face,” he said of Cloud’s reaction when he learned of Fezco’s planned fate. “I think the hardest thing is when you have addiction issues – it’s about finding your meaning and purpose in life.”

“The only thing I knew was that he loved doing this show. He loved the crew. He loved the actors. He loved everything about it,” Levinson continued. “And I just thought, if this goes away, I don’t know what’s going to happen in his life.”

After production on the second season wrapped, Levinson said he wanted to take a long walk with Cloud to talk about the third season and the importance of him being clean. Cloud said he was “good,” but Levinson said he “could tell at that point it was like he wasn’t interested.” He wouldn’t do anything, and yes, he didn’t want to.”

Ultimately, Cloud lost his battle with addiction and succumbed to the disease on July 31, 2023. As reported last Thursday by TMZthe actor “died from a deadly combination of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and more in what is being ruled an accidental overdose.”

A source close to the family told the outlet that Cloud had been struggling with suicidal thoughts since his father’s funeral the week before. He lived with his family; It was his mother, Lisa, who called 911.

“I always had the feeling that he didn’t want to [sobriety] as much as we all wanted it for him,” Levinson told People. “That’s where it gets difficult because the whole world can want it for you.” But he didn’t want it.

“It’s just the self-destructive side of addiction and it outweighs everything,” Levinson continued. “But you can’t give up on people. I wasn’t going to let anyone give up on him.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, get help. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline (1-800-662-4357) provides free, confidential 24/7 support to people in need.