‘Euphoria’: Angus Cloud Says Maude Apatow’s Lexi Brings out the “Innocence” in Fez

Euphoria Season 2 Episode 6 was full of the usual heart-breaking, jaw-dropping drama that we’ve come to expect from the HBO show, with one exception. The evolving storyline linking Lexi (Maude Apatow) and Fezco (Angus Cloud) has been as enchanting as it’s been unexpected. Ever since their adorable conversation in the Season 2 finale, there’s been something blooming between the good girl of Euphoria and the show’s drug dealer with a heart of gold. That sweet factor intensified this week as the two held hands while watching the end of classic movie Stand By Me.  

Is it friendship? Yes! Could it also be romance? We’ll have to see! On paper, they two don’t work at all. Lexi is, after all, Rue’s (Zendaya) bookish best friend from preschool. While the other teens around her are constantly courting drama, Lexi stays on the straight and narrow by keeping herself on the sidelines. She is the consummate observer, finally putting her musings to paper with her still unseen play. Fezco, on the other hand, was raised in the crucible of crime. He’s been dealing drugs since childhood and now is raising younger adopted brother Ashtray (Javon Walton) in the trade.

So why do Fez and Lexi work so well together? And how did Euphoria creator and director Sam Levinson think to pair them in Season 2? Turns out it might all come down to the actors themselves…

When Decider spoke with the cast of Euphoria last month, Maude Apatow revealed she had a hand in bringing Fezco and Lexi together this season.

“I thought it would be a funny idea if Lexi and Fez became an unlikely friendship and I think it’s so sweet,” Apatow said, revealing it’s something she and Levinson spoke about. “I’m glad it worked out, but yeah it was super fun working with Angus.”

“Maude is the best. I love Maude to death,” Angus Cloud told Decider. “She’s the sweetest girl ever and Lexi is also the sweetest girl ever. I think it’s literally just that her innocence brings out the innocence in me, you know?”

Cloud added that in Euphoria Season 2, he was “kind of coming out of [his] shell a bit” thanks to the Lexi/Fez storyline. “You know, Season 1, I was barely cracking a smile. I was super serious the whole time and it was really nice working with Maude and getting to tap into something less serious,” Cloud said. “The more gentle and nice side of Fezco that he doesn’t let the world see.”

The world of Euphoria may not see that side of Fezco, but the cast of Euphoria sees it in Angus Cloud. “I love Angus so much,” Apatow said. “We are really close. I really love him and we had so much fun acting together.”

At this point, Fez and Lexi’s relationship has been one of the few positive parts of Euphoria Season 2, which makes us increasingly worried that their connection may be doomed. Fingers crossed their connection makes it to the finale.

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