Euphoria took a huge risk killing off a main character in the season 3 finale — and now Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is speaking out about possible backlash.
Akinnuoye-Agbaje, 58, addressed his character Alamo being involved in Rue’s (Zendaya) death, exclusively telling Us Weekly at the MPTF NextGen Summer Party, which was presented by Delta Air Lines and Waymo, “Look, it’s a voracious fan base. It’s really their show. It preceded me. I’ve done my part. Whatever they say and do is their part so that’s where I leave it.”
On the Sunday, May 31, episode of the show, Alamo offered Rue some pain pills that turned out to be laced with fentanyl. This confirmed that Alamo intentionally gave Rue drugs that he knew she would relapse on — and that he planned to kill her after he previously discovered she was working with the DEA to bring him down.
“The beautiful thing about Euphoria is — first of all — this incredible performance that Zendaya has done. She narrates the show and we’ve seen it largely through her perspective,” the actor told Us at the annual fundraiser, which toasts Hollywood while rallying money for the Motion Picture & Television Fund in support of working and retired entertainment professionals.
Akinnuoye-Agbaje noted that Euphoria has a strong ensemble cast, adding, “One of the beautiful things is that it opens it up to the perspective of so many of the other characters. Whether they’re within Rue’s group and vicinity, you have Laurie’s gang and you have Alamo’s gang and you have Rue’s friends. There’s room to explore those backstories, those relationships and those adventures that they would have.”
He continued: “This is TV. There’s always a world in which it could — if they wanted to — [they could explore the world more.] Whether they want to or not … I don’t know.”
Despite the devastating ending for Rue, Akinnuoye-Agbaje praised creator Sam Levinson on his vision.
“This season has been heavily influenced with religious themes about God and belief,” he noted. “All of that came to bear in the final episode. It sums up the consequences of everyone’s choices so you will see a reckoning. It’s poetic and it’s poignant. It’s responsible as well in his artistry in the message that it’s sending out.”
Akinnuoye-Agbaje went on to address how Rue’s death set up Ali’s (Colman Domingo) story of seeking revenge in her honor. This allowed for a Western-inspired sequence that left Alamo dead — but not before an epic standoff.
“Sam’s vision for this was heavily influenced by Western iconography. He was going to make this a Western style but with a modern take,” he noted to Us. “It was incredible how he interwove that with the narrative of the show and those characters that grew up building that narrative.”
Looking ahead, Akinnuoye-Agbaje showed support for more Alamo — perhaps in spinoff form.
“I would be up for it. It’s such a rich character and we saw such a beautiful back story,” he shared. “It would be great to see how he got to that house on the hill. We are going to put it out in the ethos.”
Euphoria is currently streaming on HBO Max.
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