After receiving backlash for Cassie’s OnlyFans story line, Euphoria pushed it further with more scenes where Sydney Sweeney is topless — and others where she is masturbating on camera.
During the Sunday, May 10, episode of the hit HBO series, Cassie grew her subscribers on OnlyFans with Maddie’s (Alexa Demie) help by filming graphic content. Some of it was more tame, with Cassie recording sexy audio messages and going on podcasts to show support for men’s rights.
Others were more sexual in nature with Cassie filming herself having sex, sending her used underwear to her fans and going topless again. While Cassie worked hard to bring in the money, her husband, Nate (Jacob Elordi), encouraged her to push herself even further to provide for him so he could pay off his debt.
Cassie’s arc in season 3 has received criticism after some OnlyFans creators weren’t thrilled with how their line of work was portrayed on screen. Creator Sam Levinson, however, defended the decision to push boundaries.
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“[Cassie] has got her dog house and her little dog ears and the nose, and that has its own humor,” Levinson explained to The Hollywood Reporter in April. “But what makes the scene is the fact that her housekeeper is the one filming it.”
He continued: “What we wanted to always find is the other layer of absurdity that we’re able to tie into it so that we’re not too inside of her fantasy or illusion,” the 41-year-old added. “The gag is to jump out, to break the wall.”
Levinson broke down how he and director of photography Marcell Rév brought the scenes to life.
“An obvious choice would’ve been something modern and very plain and fancy, but we ended up choosing this mid-century home, which is a little tacky, but also stuck in the ‘70s,” Rév explained. “It’s probably a strange choice, but also it gives us possibilities. OnlyFans has its own aesthetic and how you elevate that aesthetic to the show’s aesthetic is a challenge. I’m not going to lie.”
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Despite the backlash, Levinson stood by his vision.
“Some of these scenes we only lit with these ring lights that she would use. When you’re inside, it’s a beautiful, glowing front light, but then you jump out of it and it’s just a pool of light and everything surrounding it is dark. It’s just gnarly and jarring,” he added. “We wanted to capture what she’s trying to show the audience and be inside of it. But then also pull back wider and see how depressing it is.”
Euphoria airs on HBO Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.
