Cassie Howard, played by Sydney Sweeney, went through it all during the second season of the hit HBO drama Euphoria, and the actress honestly believed her character would die during the show’s sophomore run.
Sweeney said on a recent episode of EW’s The Awardist podcast that she first believed Cassie’s season 2 antics would result in her death. When she received the season 2 premiere script from writer Sam Levinson, one scene gave her pause about her character’s fate. Nate (Jacob Elordi) and Cassie are shown in the scene drinking booze and speeding down a highway. Sweeney had the following to say about the scene:
“I thought Sam was going to kill me.” I was convinced that I was going to die. And the hanging out the window was, in fact, only me hanging out the window. It was completely unplanned and spur-of-the-moment. However, when I first read it, I assumed Cassie was going to die. And it was a real bummer for me. But then it became this strangely sensual and dangerous relationship between these two characters. And that’s how it turned out.”
Cassie and Nate’s relationship was one of the most volatile aspects of season 2. They do not bring out the best in one another, but because they are attracted to one another, their attraction is both toxic and appealing. Cassie was inevitably elevated to a more prominent role in season 2. Cassie was introduced in the show’s first season as a reserved individual who didn’t make quite as much noise as some of the other characters. Cassie was rarely the source of drama in the first season of the program, but that changed in season 2, when she found herself at the center of a triangle involving herself, Nate, and Maddy (Alexa Demie). While Euphoria is still mostly on Rue’s (Zendaya) journey, Cassie in particular emerged as a standout character in season 2.
