‘Euphoria’ Star Barbie Ferreira Just Addressed WTF Is Going on With Kat in Season 2

Warning: Spoilers ahead for the second season of HBO’s hit teen drama Euphoria. The latest episode, “A Thousand Little Trees of Blood,” is currently available to stream on HBO Max. 

Does Euphoria have as much drama off-screen as it does on? Probably not, but it’s not exactly a low-key workplace, according to rumors that have been circulating over the past few months. Earlier this year, blind items on DeuMoix suggested that Barbie Ferreira, who plays Kat Hernandez on the show, was not “vibing” with creator Sam Levinson’s vision for the second season, even walking off the set at one point during an argument. Viewers soon noticed that Kat, who had been featured prominently in the first season, had far fewer scenes in the new episodes, with many guessing that this was a form of retaliation by Levinson. Ferreira notably didn’t attend the second-season premiere, which only fueled speculation.

Now, we have confirmation that Kat’s arc is not what was originally planned—because a lot has changed for every character. In a joint interview with The Cut, star and executive producer Zendaya revealed that the original scripts were significantly reworked. “There are very few things that remain in the version you’re now seeing,” she said. “The things that didn’t make it definitely needed to die.” (Alexa Demie also revealed a change in the script regarding that sex tape.)

In the same interview, Ferreira explained why Kat’s behavior may strike fans as confusing. “Kat’s journey this season is a little more internal and a little mysterious to the audience,” Ferreira said. “She is secretly going through a lot of existential crises.” 

In the most recent episode, for instance, she told her boyfriend that they had to break up because she had a terminal brain disease, seemingly a lie that came out of nowhere. “She loses her marbles a little bit — just like everyone else in this season,” Ferriera continued. “The theme is everyone’s gone a little crazy.”

Though Ferriera did not comment on the behind-the-scenes rumors, Kat’s actions in episode six did not seem to convince fans that everything is copacetic behind the scenes… Hopefully, in the final two episodes, Kat’s storyline will come together and give us more scenes with Ferreira to obsess over.