How Minka Kelly changed nude scene in Euphoria

One of the newest cast members of Euphoria has opened up about a planned scene that would have seen her strip naked – and why it was axed.

Actress Minka Kelly says she was asked to strip down during her first day on set of Euphoria.

The 41-year-old revealed in a new interview that she pushed back on a nude scene – written for the second season of the Emmy-winning drama – because she “didn’t feel comfortable”.

“That was my first day as a guest on this new show, and I just didn’t feel comfortable standing there naked,” Kelly told Vanity Fair.

She noted that the show’s writer and director, Sam Levinson, was open to her tweaking the character of Samantha, the wealthy mother of a young boy Maddy (Alexa Demie) babysits, the New York Post reports.

During the scene, Kelly’s Samantha returns home after a night out with her husband, and Maddy helps her unzip her gown.

“[Levinson] thought it would be more interesting if my dress fell to the ground,” Kelly recalled. “I said, ‘I’d love to do this scene, but I think we can keep my dress on.’ He was like, ‘OK!’ He didn’t even hesitate. And he shot a beautiful scene and got exactly what he wanted.”

Minka Kelly appears in the new season of Euphoria.

Fellow Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney, who has filmed her fair share of nude scenes for the HBO series, previously revealed she asked Levinson, 37, to cut some of them.

“There are moments where [my character] Cassie was supposed to be shirtless and I would tell Sam, ‘I don’t really think that’s necessary here,’” she said in a recent interview with the Independent. “He was like, ‘OK, we don’t need it.’”

Sweeney, 24, told the outlet that Levinson was very receptive to her requests.

“I’ve never felt like Sam has pushed it on me or was trying to get a nude scene into an HBO show,” she said. “When I didn’t want to do it, he didn’t make me.”

Sweeney portrays Cassie Howard in Euphoria.

Sweeney also noted that Euphoria has an intimacy coordinator on set who assists the cast with X-rated scenes.

Ahead of the show’s season 2 premiere in January, Zendaya (who portrays Rue) posted a disclaimer to Instagram, reminding her followers that the show is for “mature audiences”.

“This season, maybe even more so than the last, is deeply emotional and deals with subject matter that can be triggering and difficult to watch,” she wrote at the time.

“Please only watch it if you feel comfortable. Take care of yourself and know that either way you are still loved and I can still feel your support. All my love, Daya.”

This article originally appeared in the New York Post and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as How Minka Kelly changed nude scene in Euphoria