Whatever Heart ‘Euphoria’ Had, It Lay in Angus Cloud

A lot of people loved Angus Cloud, the star of Euphoria who abruptly died today at the age of 25, for his voice — that syrupy laconic drawl that sounded like a podcast at .5x speed. But I loved him for his eyes, these wet Easter-egg blue pools of emotion rimmed with dusky lashes, the kind that grandmas say are wasted on boys, the kind that not even the most talented beauty vlogger could ever hope to recreate. The second he fixed those eyes on the troubled Rue (Zendaya) in their first scenes together, you knew this was a person who contained multitudes, who was capable of heart-shattering acts of kindness and extreme acts of rage. You knew this was a person who you’d do anything to save from themselves. You knew this was a person who’d break your heart with a tragic end, but you couldn’t take your eyes off him before it happened. That was Fezco, and that was Angus Cloud. 

Euphoria was a prestige show destined to be buzzed about, a much-hyped reboot of an Israeli teenage drama about self-destructive kids who shoved shit up their noses and ping-ponged around each other’s beds. It purported to be raw and gritty, but under the helm of director Sam Levinson, it was slick and stylized, a parade of Instagrammable lewks and gratuitous carousel-fucking scenes and eye makeup that looked absolutely insane on anyone over 25. But even if Euphoria was destined to be huge, Angus Cloud wasn’t, not necessarily. Amidst a lineup of the predictable list of shellacked and well-groomed breakout stars — Australian hunks, nepo babies, models-turned-actresses-turned-influencers — Angus Cloud was a standout among standouts. 

An Oakland kid who was scouted for the show while bartending in Brooklyn, Cloud was cast to fulfill a fairly conventional gritty teen drama trope: the drug dealer with a heart of gold. But Cloud took the material to the next level, imbuing the soft-spoken Fezco with smoldering rage that elevated the character from a Lifetime movie-of-the-week character. When he quietly threatens the sociopathic Nate at the gas station where he works, punctuating it with a smooth “that’ll be $5.75, playboy,” it was clear to anyone watching that a) he was going to make good on his threat (and in the opener for Season Two, he came close), and b) that Cloud was going to become a huge star. 

A huge star he became, and an unconventional sex symbol to boot. Dubbed by thirsty fans as the internet’s boyfriend, Cloud won people over with his slo-mo drawl (partially influenced by a traumatic brain injury he suffered in his youth) and what seemed to be his perpetual amazement at his own circumstances. “The first time I saw myself on TV, I didn’t like it,” he told Rolling Stone in 2021, punctuating it with a throaty cackle. “I was like, what the fuck? Why did they pick me to do that?” 

When media outlets profiled him, they framed Cloud as some sort of ultra-laidback stoner who’d unwittingly stumbled his way into success, a Chance the Gardener for the zoomer generation. But he worked much harder than his persona would suggest. “People just think, ‘Oh, he just shows up. He’s just this lazy stoner.’ Like, no,” casting director Jennifer Venditti told Variety. “[I’ve] been doing this for a while, in terms of working with non-actors, and a lot of people can’t do it. It’s not just showing up and being yourself on camera. I’m really proud of him. Angus doesn’t get enough credit.” Roles as a frat boy in The Line and an upcoming Universal Horror film showed the promise of range, but one thing about the premature death of a raw, unvarnished talent is that we’ll never be able to see what Cloud would have been able to do with a little bit more polish and shine. 

When Season Two of Euphoria rolled around, Fezco’s development was somewhat sidelined by the (frankly, completely unnecessary) love triangle between characters Cassie, Maddie, and Nate and breathless coverage of the show’s behind-the-scenes drama, such as the departure of cast member Barbie Ferreira and allegations of director Levinson exploiting cast members. Fezco embarked on a sweet and chaste relationship with Lexi (Maude Apatow), a pairing hailed as “Fexi” in the first season, and although the chemistry between the two actors was strong, it felt more like fan service than a viable direction for the character. Though Fezco ostensibly survived the bloody Season Two shootout that ended the life of surrogate brother Ashtray, it felt like a pat ending tacked on to a once-promising character who had been demoted to a mere afterthought. Like many buzzed-about shows, Euphoria lost the plot once it got high off its own supply, and with it, it had lost its way with one of its strongest characters. But whatever heart Euphoria ever had, it lay in Angus Cloud. 

From Rolling Stone US.