Barbie Ferreira Explains Why She Really Left <i>Euphoria</i>

Barbie Ferreira is clearing the air. Months after exiting HBO’s Euphoria, the actress explained her decision on the Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard podcast on Monday, noting that she and showrunner Sam Levinson came to a “mutual decision” about her departure.

Ferreira addressed speculation that she and Levinson were feuding as well as critiques of Kat’s role being sidelined in the second season.

“For me, when people ask me about season 2, it’s usually they come at me with, like, I was some sort of victim to season 2 and I’m always like, ‘No, it’s okay, promise. It’s good,’” she said. “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 exit I’m not going to address it because then I’m adding fuel to it. It’s taken on a life of its own. Don’t believe everything you read.”

She said of Kat’s storyline, “I think my character, who I love so dearly, I don’t think there was a place for her to go. I think there were places she could have gone. I just don’t think it would have fit into the show. I don’t know if it was going to do her justice, and I think both parties knew that. I really wanted to be able to not be the fat best friend. I don’t want to play that, and I think they didn’t want that either.”

Ferreira believes that releasing Kat’s storyline “actually has been really freeing for both of us,” referring to herself and Levinson, but it was hard to say goodbye to the character. “And it obviously hurts because I love Kat and she was so important to me and I think to a lot of people with all her good and bad mostly bad, which I love. And it was like a character I’ve never seen on TV before, and I don’t know if we’ll ever get something like that in that specific way that was so edgy [again].”

She later added, “But, you know, I feel like with season 2 and having certain parts of it that I felt was a kind of a struggle for both parties—Sam, me—it was a struggle to find the continuation of her so that was actually really hurtful, watching it and seeing the fans get upset. I don’t know, 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.”

Ferreira continued, “Sam writes for like things that he relates to. I don’t think he relates to Kat. I relate to Kat. So I go on my own path. And at first, I was like, oh my God, I’m a flop. I’m a loser.” But ultimately she realized: “It really has been a good thing.”

As for the rumors she walked off set after a disagreement, Ferreira brushed it off. “I actually did not walk off set,” she said. “I did sprain my ankle once and had to go get an X-ray. Maybe that’s what they mean?”

Though we’ll be missing Kat, we’ll be seeing more of Ferreira soon, as she has a few things lined up ahead, including the Prime Video thriller House of Spoils, the comedy-drama The Young King, and a reimagining of Faces of Death.