From the start, Alexa Demie knew the role of Maddy Perez, a headstrong teen in HBO’s “Euphoria,” was meant for her. In an interview with Collider in 2019, she revealed she brought a bag full of costumes to her audition, determined to make Maddy come alive. She also divulged that before the “Euphoria” pilot script was presented to her, she had considered quitting acting altogether. “I was in a really weird place, at the time,” Demie told Collider. “I wasn’t getting anything good and I was like, I’m done with this! Why am I even doing this? Everything that I’m reading is so not what I want to do.” Luckily, “Euphoria” changed the tide for her. “Then [Euphoria] came along and I was like, I have to do this,” she recalled. “I want this. And luckily, I got it.”
Even so, Demie was hesitant to take the part due to the amount of nude and semi-nude scenes Maddy has in the series. During a 2021 interview with Vogue, Demie said, the nudity in the series was “tough” for her as an actor. “I’m just not comfortable like that publicly,” she explained, “so it was hard for me.” Regardless, the actor then admitted filming nude scenes “pulled me out of my comfort zone” in a positive way, adding, “After I did it, I watched it and it’s just…it’s not that serious [to do].”
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
