Why Rue Had to Die on ‘Euphoria’ (Explained by Creator Sam Levinson)

Sam Levinson, the writer, director and creator of “Euphoria,” sat down with Joe and Jon to explain why he felt it was time to end HBO’s juggernaut series. With its third season in seven years, “Euphoria” concluded a thrilling, provocative and tumultuous run with a cast of the defining young actors of the 2020s: Zendaya, who won two Emmys for her portrayal of Rue, Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi, Hunter Schafer and more. In this wide-ranging conversation, Levinson, himself a former addict, described staying true to his vision, his approach to shooting sensitive subject matter and the limits of empathy. 0:00 Intro + SPOILER ALERT! (watch the finale first?) 2:17 Why Sam decided to end the season this way 8:54 Does Sam identify with Ali’s character? 13:42 Rewriting the show for practical and personal reasons 14:33 Why was sex work a focus of this season? 19:48 The characters’ (and Sam’s) relationships to the internet 23:38 Generational divides and Sam’s optimism for the future 33:11 Why Sam thinks some viewers misunderstand his comedic writing 36:12 Sam addresses the show’s controversial language & imagery 40:22 Glamorization of drug use vs. the consequences 45:04 Sam responds to complaints of over-sexualization 47:25 Working with Sydney Sweeney 49:39 Did the cast’s busy schedules influence the storylines? 54:46 Sam’s film influences 58:47 What influenced the negative reception of Season 3? 1:06:15 Is this the official end of the show? 1:08:32 Snack time! 1:09:00 Working with Drake Follow Jon: https://twitter.com/joncaramanica https://www.instagram.com/joncaramanica Follow Joe: https://twitter.com/joecoscarelli https://www.instagram.com/joecoscarelli/ Listen to every Popcast ever https://www.nytimes.com/popcast Every episode of Popcast (Deluxe) on YouTube https://tinyurl.com/PopcastDeluxe Popcast Discord! https://tinyurl.com/PopcastDiscord Popcast Facebook! https://tinyurl.com/PopcastFacebook Popcast t-shirts & stickers http://itsthepopcast.myshopify.com Subscribe: http://bit.ly/U8Ys7n More from The New York Times Video: http://nytimes.com/video