Dominic Fike says 'Euphoria' role came after his failed audition influenced character Elliot

Dominic Fike has revealed that his first failed audition for Euphoria played a direct role in shaping the character he went on to portray.

Speaking on the September 22 episode of Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, the 29-year-old artist described arriving at the audition after a night of drinking whiskey and taking psychedelic mushrooms.

Fike explained that he had not realised the scale of the show or who its director, Sam Levinson, was at the time. He recalled being late, joking with Levinson about his clothes, and being unable to read the script as “the words started jumping around on the page.” 

According to Fike, casting staff told him to leave and later informed his agents that “this kid’s never doing anything in Hollywood again.”

A year later, after focusing on improving his personal life, Fike was contacted again by Levinson. The director rewrote the role of Elliot, incorporating traits he had observed during Fike’s initial audition.

“He writes this guy that’s like, half his character and half the dude that showed up that day,” Fike said. Levinson offered him the part after securing assurances that the actor would stay committed.

Fike also spoke about his experiences on set, including working with a “sober coach” during filming. He noted that the role of Elliot, a character struggling with addiction, mirrored aspects of his own challenges. In 2023, he admitted he was nearly removed from the series for using drugs while filming.

Despite these difficulties, Fike is confirmed to return for Euphoria season 3. He credited Levinson’s decision to take a chance on him as a pivotal moment in his acting career, adding that he had not initially understood the scale of commitment required for the series.

Euphoria is available to stream on HBO Max.