Nepotism and sexualization behind Euphoria
by Max Bratter ’25, Staff Writer
Euphoria is a show that needs no introduction. The narcotics-filled, trance-like and sex-obsessed television series has infiltrated pop-culture through the outlet of HBO Max. Its creator, Sam Levinson was mostly unknown before the show, but he is now getting more coverage than ever, for better or for worse.
Sam Levinson is the son of Barry Levinson. “Who is Barry Levinson?”, you may be asking yourself. Barry Levinson is an Oscar-winning director, writer and producer who has put out critically acclaimed films such as Rain Man, Sleepers, Good Morning; Vietnam, and many more. More relevantly, Barry Levinson has had an extensive professional relationship with Euphoria’s TV network; HBO.
Alongside Tom Fontana, Barry founded The Levinson/Fontana Company, a television production company. When many people think of HBO, they immediately think of The Sopranos. What many of those same people may not realize is that Barry set the precedent for HBO to make shows such as The Sopranos with his prison-oriented drama: Oz. Oz revolutionized television, as it popularized the now commonplace 1-hour formatting of episodes within a series. Furthermore, Barry was also instrumental in starting the career of the future creator of the also legendary HBO show, The Wire. By suggesting David Simon’s book, titled Homicide, become a series on NBC, Barry gave Simon the groundwork to work with HBO in the future.
The shows to which Barry contributed to a standard of creative freedom that ran true throughout HBO’s history post-Oz. Oz was particularly known for its frequently sexually explicit scenes, and casual featuring of drugs, violence and even rape. As raunchy as it may have been, these occurrences seem considerably aligned with the context of the show. Moreover, Barry’s common involvement at HBO gives clarity as to how Sam may have accessed the network in the first place.
Aside from opinions on the actual in-depth themes of the show, I think it’s justifiable to say that his son, Sam, has abused his liberty to an almost inappropriate extent. Although Barry is a clear indicator of his son’s creative filmography choices, Sam’s mother, Diana Rhodes, has come up as another influence as of late. This comes in reference to Euphoria’s Cassie, played by Sydney Sweeney.
Many on social media have noticed a striking resemblance between Sweeney and Rhodes. To make matters even more uncomfortable, Cassie is known in Euphoria as easily having the most sexualized, and flat-out nude, scenes. At certain points, Sweeney has even called upon Sam to refrain from certain sexual scenes that she felt were excessive. Variety quotes the following from Sweeney regarding this matter: “There are moments where Cassie was supposed to be shirtless and I would tell Sam, ‘I don’t really think that’s necessary here.’ He was like, ‘Ok, we don’t need it.’ I’ve never felt like Sam has pushed it on me or was trying to get a nude scene into an HBO show. When I didn’t want to do it, he didn’t make me.”
While Sweeney emphasizes her comfort with Sam Levinson, she is definitely not alone in the thought that he may over-sexualize characters. Minka Kelly, who plays Samantha in the show, is referenced in an article from Vanity Fair, where she details the same type of hesitance. In her introductory episode, Sam asked Kelly to allow her dress to fall to the floor during a scene. Kelly voiced her opposition to this suggestion, and Levinson took the critique in stride and allowed her to perform within her comfort zone.
Sam Levinson’s insistence on the sexualization of his actresses is surely questionable, but as of right now, there does not seem to be any foul play. Whether or not such sensuality actually contributes to the show’s substance is not for certain. Regardless, the distinct popularity and aesthetic of Euphoria cannot be denied.
If you want to stay up to date with Euphoria’s weekly episode releases, be sure to head to the show’s watch party that is held every Sunday at the Sadove Student Center 118, in the Massolo Sun Porch (#17 on the campus map)!
