‘I’m not getting spat on or anything’: Jacob Elordi on sex, fame and Euphoria

It’s the hottest show in Hollywood and now Jacob Elordi – the Australian star of Euphoria – has opened up about shooting racy sex scenes.

Jacob Elordi has a strange benchmark for his rising success in Hollywood – and it involves bodily fluids.

“I’m not getting spat on or anything, so I think I am doing OK,” the Australian actor says, with a laugh.

Of course, Elordi, 24, is doing more than OK.

He is back in bad boy mode for the second series of Euphoria, the very adult-themed, Drake-produced HBO Max drama about sex, drugs and addiction (its much-anticipated second season debuted to a record audience last week).

Shot in Los Angeles and co-starring Zendaya, the heavy subject matter Euphoria is known for goes to another level in the new season, particularly with Elordi’s portrayal of Nate Jacobs, the troubled heart-throb of East Highland High School.

‘I’m not getting spat on or anything.’ Jacob Elordi stars in Euphoria. Picture: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBO

After a violent brawl with drug dealer Fezco (Angus Cloud) that left him bloodied (and yet, manically smiling with his head wrapped in a bandage) in the debut episode, Elordi reflects on the character, calling himself “not likeable” in the role.

It is a stark contract to The Kissing Booth, the Netflix romantic comedy that gave Elordi his big Hollywood break, and Elordi’s own private life (he has dated Kaia Gerber, Zendaya and Olivia Jade, the influencer daughter of Lori Loughlin).

“I mean, for myself as an actor, it’s a real treat to play him (Nate) – there’s so much to dive into and think about,” Elordi says.

“It’s like an interesting psyche, I guess, to attack.

“It takes a really long time but you get to the end of it, I’ve never run a marathon but I’d imagine it’s what running a marathon feels like, it’s cathartic.

“Your legs are like jelly and giving out and you’re, like, crying, but it’s wonderful.”

In character as Nate Jacobs. Picture: HBO

‘It' girl of the moment Zendaya stars in Euphoria – and produces it as well, Picture: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBO

Australian actor Jacob Elordi and co-star Sydney Sweeney, who plays Cassie. Picture: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBO

Elordi’s portrayal of the abusive and manipulative Nate hasn’t stopped fans from being attracted to his character, who is torn between his ex-girlfriend Maddy (Alexa Demie) and new love interest, Cassie (Sydney Sweeney).

The latter shared a memorable scene with Elordi, which involved Sweeney – wearing a pair of strappy Prada heels – hiding in a bath tub after a tryst with him at a house party.

“He’s pretty charming,” Elordi says over Zoom, with his tongue firmly in cheek.

“That was a joke,” he clarifies, as he pats his dog who is looming out of the shot. “He’s not. He’s sweet, caring, compassionate, loving – I’m not too sure,” Elordi says, making light of Nate’s inherent darkness.

“Something is wrong with those people,” Cloud chimes in.

“That’s a good answer,” Elordi says.

Orange crush! Angus Cloud stars as Fezco. Picture: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBO

Maude Apatow and Angus Cloud in a scene from Euphoria. Picture: HBO

‘I don’t think we’re trying to be role models.’ Angus Cloud gets deep about Euphoria. Picture: HBO

When asked if Elordi and Cloud feel like role models because of Euphoria’s huge global popularity – and Instagram-fuelled influence – the pair enlist their co-star, Eric Dane (who plays Nate’s dad, Cal Jacobs), to respond.

“I’m definitely a role model,” says Dane – aka McSteamy from Grey’s Anatomy – in a deadpan tone

“Eric is my role model,” Elordi says, before clarifying: “My answer is no.”

Cloud goes deeper on the subject of Euphoria’s influence.

“I don’t think we’re trying to be inspirations or role models, maybe of what not to do,” Cloud says.

“Maybe in the narrative of the show, each character, there’s similarities and points of references to people that they can relate to or maybe find comfort, or learn from them,” Elordi says.

“But I think, for myself as an individual, no – you’re playing a part, you’re reading lines and trying to show something.”

The Euphoria world and subject matter is intense, from violence to explicit sex scenes and graphic depictions of drug use and addiction. Before the season premiere, Zendaya posted a trigger warning to her 120 million-plus Instagram followers writing: “Euphoria is for mature audiences. This season, maybe even more so than the last, is deeply emotional.”

Zendaya and Jacob Elordi fuelled dating rumours in 2019. Picture: FilmMagic/FilmMagic

“Those are scary topics for a lot of people, especially when it’s having to do with young people, you know?” Cloud says.

“Nobody wants to imagine their kids or young people in their life going through those kinds of things.“

Dane chimes in: “(The themes) are not pretty things to explore sometimes.”

“I think that makes people a little uncomfortable, and when they get uncomfortable, they tend to attach negative terms to their feelings about it,” Dane continues.

“I don’t think this show is by any stretch a love letter to drugs, nor is it a love letter to sex, I think these kids are just kind of living their truths and making mistakes and some of those mistakes are a little off-putting but that’s what we do.”

Cloud adds: “(Euphoria) is more of an expose than a love letter. It’s not trying to glamorise anything – it’s real”.

For Elordi, the confronting sex scenes he films in Euphoria don’t really phase him. “The world is full of explicit content,” Elordi says.

The show enlisted an intimacy co-ordinator to assist with the material.

“We’ve had one now for two seasons, and I think the job is so new that the more shows that are made, the more intimacy co-ordinators are used and the more specific their jobs become,” Elordi says. “In the first season, I kind of struggled with it because I thought it killed the spontaneity of the scene and it was a little bit hands-on.

Euphoria enlisted an intimacy co-ordinator to work on its racy sex scenes. Picture: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBO

“She was there for the actor and it made the scenes just like playing any regular moment — she saved the day.”

Despite his dark streak, love, it seems, is a dominant theme of Nate’s story arc this season.

“Not to be corny, but there’s a lot of like love, loss of it, lack of it … that kind of plays into all of our characters’ storylines, they all revolve around love,” Elordi says.

For Cloud, the story delves into Fezco’s troubled childhood, and his entry into the world of drug dealing as a young boy.

“I mean he just had to grow up fast, like Skywalker, you know what I’m saying?” Cloud says.

“He didn’t really have a choice about the life that he was put into and he ended up having to take care of the one person who was taking care of him.

“He only knew how to do one thing which was to hustle and sell drugs.

“He just had to play the hand he was dealt, you know? He has good morals, you know? “He doesn’t necessarily want to do any of the violence that happens but it’s the way it is, for him and his mind, it has to happen that way.

“When you’re in that life, that’s just how things get dealt with.”

Cloud shares scenes with the show’s star and executive producer Zendaya, whose character Rue is in the midst of addiction and later, withdrawal.

“I mean we just get into sort of that sad, lonely, that feeling you get when you’re alone and you think nobody cares and what not, and try to channel through that,” Cloud says.

“Helping people with problems that they don’t necessarily want to be helped with.

“We just vibe off each other in the moment, it becomes real, you know?”

Euphoria’s second season is airing now on Binge. A new episode is released every Monday, Australian-time.