Zendaya “Frustrated” With Sam Levinson Neglecting ‘Euphoria’ For ‘The Idol’

Zendaya was “frustrated” with Sam Levinson neglecting his Euphoria writing duties in favor of The Idol , according to The Hollywood Reporter . The behind-the-scenes piece details the current state of the HBO hit show , and what’s been “ailing” the series.

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Levinson had been reportedly writing season three of the show before he disregarded the property to begin work on The Idol —a show meant to jumpstart The Weeknd’s acting career. The outlet detailed that Kevin Turen, one of Euphoria’ s producers, and Levinson forged a relationship with the Canadian pop star. The initial goal was for Sam to write up a “spec script” for the show, and not spend too much time on the project. However, he used time and resources set aside for Euphoria on The Idol .

The move drove a wedge between the two creatives, with Zendaya beginning to “resent” Levinson, altering their once close relationship. The award-winning actress was so “perturbed” by Levinson’s actions, that she called for “a meeting with HBO’s Bloys and Orsi, demanding to know why the network allowed Levinson to turn his attention to another show—an HBO show, no less—with Euphoria hanging in the balance,” THR reports.

Zendaya’s “unhappiness deepened” after Rolling Stone released their March 2023 exposé, which detailed The Idol under Levinson’s direction as “disgustingly, disturbingly off the rails.” After the article’s release, the show infamously garnered bad press and fan backlash. As a result, Zendaya was caught in the middle, as fans have often associated her with Levinson due to the Euphoria connection. The outlet states that Z “closely tracks” her fan bases’ mood on social media and felt a shift in their attitude due to Levinson’s work on The Idol —even though she had nothing to do with the HBO property.

“Her image is pristine,” an executive who worked with her told THR . “And fans were turning against Sam urging Zendaya to distance herself.” Z, Levinson, and other HBO execs would hold another meeting months later, but Zendaya and Sam’s relationship was severely injured. “They went from being so close, and they couldn’t fix it,” a source close to the show told the outlet.

Another point of friction arrived by way of Sam’s wife, Ashley, taking over Turen’s job after he passed away in 2023. Ashley Levinson was appointed the executive producer of Euphoria’ s season three. But Zendaya isn’t a fan of Ashley becoming the sole executive producer for the highly-anticipated season or her demeanor on set. Sources close to Euphoria deem Ashley Levinson as “more sharp-elbowed than conciliatory.” Additionally, she has been described as protective of her husband, Sam.

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“Sam needs somebody else besides Ashley,” a talent rep with a client on Euphoria said. “He needs a voice of reason, and Kevin was a genius at that.”

“Sam really is a big talent, but he needs managing, and if you’re a spouse, it’s tough. He needs boundaries, he needs deadlines. It’s hard for a spouse to set limits. You’re setting yourself up for failure,” an insider asserted.

Sources close to Sam have also made claims and qualms regarding Zendaya. The outlet stated that a source close to the director blames the multi-hyphenate for shifting her focus to Hollywood franchises like Spider-Man and Dune . “It was all about her,” one source alleged. “Everybody wanted to make it about Sam, but it was her.”

Euphoria season 2 debuted in January 2022 and ended on February 27. Variety announced that the show would start filming the third season in January 2025 , with the main cast returning.

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