Warning: Spoilers for Euphoria season 2, episode 4.
Euphoria star Hunter Schafer reveals which movie montage from episode 4 was her favorite. In season 2, episode 4 of the HBO teen drama created by Sam Levinson, trouble continued for the characters. Cal (Eric Dane) revealed some difficult truths to his family and, on another front, the fraught love triangle between Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), Nate (Jacob Elordi), and Maddy (Alexa Demie) escalated to new heights. At least for a little while at the beginning of the episode, however, Rue (Zendaya) and Jules (Schafer) get to experience a bit of imagined happiness.
At the start of episode 4, in classic Euphoria fashion, viewers are treated to a playful and stylized montage that shows Jules and Rue recreating classic moments from some of the most famous romance movies of all time. Some of the scenes that are glimpsed include Titanic, the animated Snow White, the 1990 hit Ghost, and Brokeback Mountain. Zendaya and Schafer put their own spin on each of these seminal classics, delivering their performances with giddy excitement. It helps to set the stage for episode 4’s devasting ending, as Jules learns the truth about Rue’s relapse.
In an interview with EW, Schafer discussed the episode and said that the Brokeback Mountain portion of the montage was her favorite. Schafer explained that the recreation of Ang Lee’s seminal romantic drama was fun to film, allowing the actors to try on Southern accents and do something a little different. As a close runner-up, Schafer cited Euphoria's Ghost reference as another favorite scene. Read Schafer’s quote below.
“I mean, I love Brokeback Mountain. I also like [that] it’s also something I never would’ve thought I would be offered to emulate on film, so that was really cool. And that was fun for me and Z just because we got to do our Southern accents and act like kind of old withered Southern dudes who were secretly gay for each other. It was just fun on set for that. And also Ghost. I mean, I love that scene from Ghost, it’s so iconic. But also just getting to play with the pottery wheel while we were filming. That was really fun.”
The opening montage of Euphoria season 2, episode 4 is in line with the show not only in terms of stylistic flourishes but also in terms of how the characters see themselves as actors in their own movies and television shows. Rue even says as much earlier in season 2, essentially breaking the fourth wall. That extends to other Euphoria characters like Kat (Barbie Ferreira), who takes all the wrong lessons from pop culture, and Maddy, who watches Martin Scorsese’s Casino and seeks to emulate the toxic romance within it, failing to see the red flags for what they are.
In a sense, and to the disappointment of many, the same can be said for Rue and Jules. It’s been argued that there are many reasons why the two Euphoria characters shouldn’t be together, particularly since Rue appears to take to Jules as an excuse to remain sober. It’s a difficult storyline that wouldn’t have the same impact without the strong chemistry between Schafer and Zendaya. And, at least for a bit, before pulling the rug out from under audiences, Euphoria allowed its central couple that little bit of cinematic joy.
Source: EW