Barbie Ferreira says she left “Euphoria” to 'do my thing' rather than be 'a second thought'
Barbie Ferreira says she left “Euphoria” to 'do my thing' rather than be 'a second thought'
Mekishana PierreTue, April 14, 2026 at 6:40 PM UTC
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Barbie Ferreira on the 'Not Skinny But Not Fat' podcast (L) and on HBO's 'Euphoria' (R)Credit: Not Skinny But Not Fat/YouTube; Eddy Chen/HBOKey Points -
Barbie Ferreira looks back on her exit from hit HBO series Euphoria after its second season in 2022.
The actress denies speculation about her departure, saying it "wasn't dramatic."
Euphoria's third season finally arrived after a years-long wait last Sunday.
Barbie Ferreira swears her exit from Euphoria wasn't as dramatic as you're probably imagining it was.
The actress, who portrayed Kat Hernandez on the show's first two seasons, which aired in 2019 and 2022, looked back on her exit from the series during her recent appearance on Amanda Hirsch's Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast released Tuesday.
Ferreira announced her exit from Euphoria in August 2022, which she told Hirsch was motivated by a desire to prioritize the integrity of her character, clarifying that "it wasn't dramatic," despite criticism at the time aimed at show creator Sam Levinson for perceived sidelining of the character.
"In fact, it was kind of the opposite of dramatic, where it was a long process of being like, 'I don't know if this is it for me,'" Ferreira said. "And then having conversations with people and us trying to figure out how to make Kat a fully fleshed-out character, and it just wasn't going anywhere."
Sydney Sweeney, Alexa Demie, Ferreira, Maude Apatow, and Zendaya on 'Euphoria'Credit: Eddy Chen/HBO
While the Faces of Death actress told Hirsch that she "really loved" the show and had been "really proud of what we were doing," she made her decision after being unable to "land on anything" in terms of direction for Kat's storyline. "Since we can't find anything and we can't land on anything, I'm like, let me just go," she added. "Let me just go do my thing."
"The thing is, I don't need to be on the biggest TV show on earth if I'm not, like, acting, you know?" Ferreira continued. "So I would rather do an indie movie where I'm acting, I'm flexing my muscles, I'm being creatively asked to do things rather than kind of sitting around to be a background character."
The actress emphasized that she understands there are actors who would be happy to fill that kind of role, adding: "I'm like, 'Good for you.' Like, you want to be a background character for nine months? That's, like, totally fine and cool."
"But I was like, 'I want to do other stuff. I want to produce indie cinema...'" she continued. "I do indie movies that literally are made on a shoestring budget, but it's like cool and real stories. And I'd rather that than kind of be a second thought."
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Ferreira described coming to the decision as a "long, arduous process" of weighing the pros and cons of the show. "At the end of the day, [I] was like, 'I believe in myself as an actress, and I want to see my career look a little differently than this. It's okay if it's not, like, the hit TV show.' It's fine. I did that," she stated.
Ferreira previously addressed her exit from the show in a 2023 interview on Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast, during which she denied a rumor that she walked off set following a dispute with creator Sam Levinson.
"When people ask me about season 2, they come at me like I was some sort of victim to season 2, and I'm always like, 'No, it's okay, promise. It's good,'" Ferreira said at the time. "I kind of got sucked into this drama that I never asked to be in and that I've never talked about. I'm of the mindset that if it doesn't exist, I'm not going to address it because then I'm adding fuel to it."
Ferreira attends the 98th Oscars in MarchCredit: Arturo Holmes/Getty
Season 2 felt like "a struggle for both parties," she added. "Sam, me. It was a struggle to find the continuation of [Kat]. So that was actually really hurtful watching it and seeing the fans get upset. I just felt like maybe it's like I overstayed my welcome a little bit? So, for me, it actually felt good to be like, 'Okay, I get to not worry about this and we both don't get to worry about this' because it's exhausting."
Ferreira contended that Levinson writes for "things that he relates to," and "I don't think he relates to Kat," she said, noting that her departure has ultimately "been a good thing."
Euphoria's third season finally arrived after a years-long wait on Sunday, with Zendaya's Rue, Alexa Demie's Maddy, Sydney Sweeney's Cassie, Maude Apatow's Lexi, and Jacob Elordi's Nate at the forefront. While Hunter Schafer's Jules and the late Eric Dane's Cal have also been announced as returning main characters, they didn't appear in the season 3 premiere.
Hirsch asked Ferreira what it felt like to see her former costars preparing for the debut of the long-awaited third season, to which the actress admitted, "It's interesting to see everyone grow up and [wonder] where the show is going because, obviously, we're not high school students anymore, right?"
And when asked if she'll be tuning in to the new season despite exiting the series, Ferreira enthusiastically responded, "Yeah, for sure."
Euphoria season 3 airs Sunday on HBO. Watch Ferreira speak about her exit in the video above.
on Entertainment Weekly
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