Dominic Fike, who plays the character Elliot on HBO’s hit show Euphoria, made some startling revelations about his time working on the show’s second season. In multiple interviews over the past few days, Fike admitted that the sober coach assigned to help him stay clean on set “failed” him, and that he now feels unsure about returning for the show’s recently announced third season.
Fike Struggled With Sobriety On Euphoria Set
The 27-year-old actor and musician has been open about his past struggles with drug addiction. To help support his sobriety while filming intense scenes on Euphoria last year, HBO provided Fike with a sober coach.
However, as Fike revealed in an interview with Complex on January 21st, relying on the sober coach ultimately didn’t work out:
“They tried to give me a sober coach and it just didn’t mash well…Talking to an older white guy who gets paid to sit on set for 20 hours to talk about not doing drugs, it doesn’t really translate.”
Fike went on to explain that because the sober coach hadn’t personally struggled with addiction himself, he couldn’t relate to what Fike was going through.
“This guy couldn’t f**king relate to me. He just couldn’t. He didn’t do anything wrong. It just wasn’t there.”
Without meaningful sobriety support on set, it seems Fike turned to substances at times to help him get through filming:
“There were times where I’d be doing a scene and I’d say something where I was convincing myself of what I was saying, because I was actually high saying it. I probably shouldn’t be saying that.”
Fike Unsure About Returning For Season 3 After “Weird” Season 2 Experience
In light of his difficulties staying sober while working on Euphoria’s intense second season, Fike has admitted he now feels unsure about his character Elliot returning for the show’s upcoming third season.
In an interview with Variety on January 21st, Fike revealed:
“I don’t even know if I’m in season 3, still…No one talks to me. I’m not kidding, no one talks to me. We’ll see, I hope.”
He reiterated his uncertainty about season 3 in a separate interview with US Weekly the same day:
“To be honest, I don’t even know if Elliot’s going back next season. So we’ll see…”
According to Fike, not knowing whether he’s included in the next season is typical of the “weird” way things have been handled with him on Euphoria generally:
“They don’t tell me anything because I think they just don’t really talk to me, which is weird…It’s weird not talking to people you work with closely, intensely for a long period of time. We don’t really talk much at all. I don’t really talk to anyone.”
What Fike’s Struggles Could Mean For Season 3
The fact that Fike doesn’t even know yet whether he’s been asked back for season 3 suggests some behind-the-scenes uncertainty around his character Elliot’s future role on the show.
Several possibilities exist:
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Elliot could be written out of season 3 entirely. His season 2 storyline ended rather open-endedly, so the show could easily explain away his absence with a simple off-screen written exit.
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Alternatively, Elliot could return as a recurring character next season. This would allow Fike to film fewer intense scenes that may trigger relapse.
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Of course, there’s always the chance Elliot will maintain his current co-starring status for season 3. But for this outcome, Euphoria would likely need to provide Fike with more meaningful sobriety support on set.
Speaking on Elliot’s return in season 3, Fike says:
“It really would be up to (show creator) Sam (Levinson), the writers and HBO. I love them, but the ball is in their court…It really all depends on how they want to sculpt the storyline.”
Fike ending up not returning for season 3 would certainly disappoint many fans who became invested in his complex dynamic with Zendaya and Hunter Schafer’s characters last season.
Regardless of what is decided about Elliot’s fate on Euphoria going forward, hopefully HBO considers providing stronger sober support for cast members like Dominic Fike struggling with addiction behind the scenes. Especially on a show that deals explicitly with dark, triggering themes, adequate mental health resources for the cast are essential.
Timeline of Events Leading To Fike’s Current Uncertainty About Season 3
To understand how Fike ended up in his current ambiguous position about returning to Euphoria, here’s a brief timeline of relevant events:
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Early 2022 | Fike is cast as the character Elliot in Euphoria Season 2, which films Spring/Summer 2022. |
| Spring 2022 | Euphoria provides Fike a sober coach on set to help him stay clean filming intense scenes. |
| Summer 2022 | Fike completes filming on Euphoria S2, struggles at times with sobriety support on set. |
| December 2022 | Euphoria announces renewal for Season 3 to air 2024. |
| January 2023 | Euphoria S2 airs on HBO, Fike receives widespread praise for his acting. |
| January 21, 2023 | Fike reveals in multiple new interviews that his Euphoria sober coach “failed” him and that communication about S3 has been lacking. |
| Present Day | Fike feels uncertain about return for Euphoria S3, awaiting communication from producers. |
Only time will tell how exactly the complex situation with Fike on Euphoria plays out from here and whether Elliot ultimately returns to the show after his memorable debut last season. But Fike’s willingness to be so open about his behind-the-scenes set struggles shows meaningful progress in breaking stigmas around addiction and sobriety in Hollywood.
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