Dominic Fike's high audition was a low point in his acting career.
Fike stars as Elliot—Rue and Jules' friend who struggles with substance abuse—on HBO's Euphoria. But in a recent interview, he revealed that he almost didn't get the role. Why? Because he was high on shrooms during the audition.
Fike had made it through multiple auditions for the role as Elliot, and as the last step, creator Sam Levinson invited him back to do a chemistry read with series regular Barbie Ferreira, who plays Kat.
To get into character, Fike took shrooms. "I started peaking right when me and Barbie were reading," he told GQ, noting that he didn't get the part.
"I was heavily addicted to so many drugs," he said of that time in his life. "Trying to make a f––king album in the midst of that much pressure, the drugs, my family being insane, and me being insane, was impossible."
After hearing that Fike had gone to an Eric Clapton–funded rehab center in spring 2020, the casting directors reached back out to offer him the role, which "was very intimidating," he said.
"It's just crazy seeing her in real life," Fike told the publication of working with Zendaya. "You see her in f––king movies and s––t, and I'm like, ‘Oh, s––t, that's Spider-Man's girl, dog!'"
"And then Tom Holland would show up to set and kiss her on the mouth," he added, "and I'm just here like, ‘This is wild!'"
We're sure we'd have the same reaction!
Euphoria is available to stream on HBO Max.