“Euphoria” fans are finally getting some answers about Barbie Ferreira’s departure.
The actor announced in August that she wasn’t returning for a third season, amid a flurry of speculation she was fired from the HBO drama, but clarified on Monday’s episode of the “Armchair Expert” podcast with Dax Shepard that creative differences were to blame.
“I don’t think there was a place for her to go,” said Ferreira about her character. “I mean, I think there were places you could go. I just don’t think it would have fit into the show. I don’t know if it was gonna do her justice. And I think both parties knew that.”
“I really wanted to be able to not be the fat best friend,” she continued. “I don’t want to play that, and I think they didn’t want that either.”
Fans had previously relied on rumors from February 2022 that Ferreira stormed off set after clashing with “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson. She told Shepard this narrative had “taken on a life of its own” and that she “got sucked into this drama” which saw fans express their condolences.
“I actually did not walk off set,” Ferreira said. “I did sprain my ankle once and had to go get an X-ray. Maybe that’s what they mean.”
While Ferreira said she would have continued to play Kat “for as long as I was asked to,” the actor reiterated her departure was a mutual decision. She told Shepard it was “a struggle for both parties” as Levinson found it difficult to find a future for her character.
“Sam writes for things he relates to,” she told Shepard. “I don’t think he relates to Kat. I relate to Kat. So I had to follow my own path.”
Ferreira said the rampant gossip about her angry exit “was really rough for me” because it depicted her as being difficult to work with. But she praised Levinson’s creative approach — and said production was “so fun” and made for the “best acting classes ever.”
While “Euphoria” will return for a third season without her, Ferreira said it was “really freeing” for both her and Levinson to have found a mutual understanding. The actor told Shepard she was excited to “get to do my own thing” — but she will never forget Kat.
“It was a character I’ve never seen on TV before,” she said, “and I don’t know if we’ll ever get something like that in that specific way that was so edgy.”