Barbie Ferreira Explains Euphoria Exit, Didn’t Want to Play the ‘Fat Best Friend’

After stepping away from the hit HBO show Euphoria after two seasons, Barbie Ferreira is further clarifying why she felt it was best to walk away. In the show’s first two seasons, Ferreira played the role of Kat Hernandez, though there were reports last year of alleged disagreements with series creator Sam Levinson. While Ferreira dismissed these rumors months ahead of her exit, she later said on Instagram in August that she was officially leaving, though it was admittedly an emotional departure for the actress.

“After four years of getting to embody the most special and enigmatic character Kat, I’m having to say a very teary-eyed goodbye,” Ferreira said at the time. “I hope many of you could see yourself in her like I did and that she brought you joy to see her journey into the character she is today. I put all my care and love into her and I hope you guys could feel it. Love you Katherine Hernandez.”

Now, in a new interview with Dax Shepard for the Armchair Expert podcast (via Deadline), Ferreira spoke more about why she wanted to leave the program. She suggests that her departure had a lot to do with the creative limitations that she felt Kat had after two seasons, not seeing how it would be worthwhile to continue following that character in season 3. Ferreira also says that while she would have kept playing Kat if the Euphoria team had insisted she say, she adds that she really didn’t want to keep playing the “fat best friend” character, and that also played a big role in her walking away.

“I think there were places she could have gone. I just don’t think it would have fit into the show,” as Ferreira said. “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. I would have played her for as long as I was asked to.”

Related: Faces of Death Remake to Star Barbie Ferreira & Dacre Montgomery

Barbie Ferreira Didn’t Want to Overstay Her Welcome

HBO

But what of those rumors about the on-set friction with Ferreira and the Euphoria production team? She tells Shepard that those reports were “silly,” and reiterates that those rumors had nothing to do with why she left the show. Ferreira notes how the decision was mutual, but even with her walking away, she will still hold a special place in her heart for Kat. With that said, Ferreira stresses that she just simply felt like she didn’t have more to offer with that character.

“It’s a character I’ve never seen on TV before,” the actress says. “It obviously hurts because I love Kat and she was so important to me and to a lot of people, with all her good and bad. It was a character I’ve never seen on TV before and I don’t know if we’ll get something like that in that specific way, which was so edgy.”

She continued, “I just felt like, maybe it’s like I overstayed my welcome a little bit? So, for me, I actually felt good to be like, ‘Okay, I get to not worry about this and we both don’t get too worried about this,’ because it’s exhausting… It really has been a good thing.”

Euphoria’s third season is not expected to arrive on HBO until sometime in 2024. As for Ferreira, she has since been cast in the upcoming remake of Faces of Death that will see her in a starring role alongside Stranger Things star Dacre Montgomery.

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