Shortly after making his debut as Noah Flynn in Netflix’s The Kissing Booth, Jacob Elordi was ready to take things one step further. Sure, the actor remained on The Kissing Booth trilogy till the end. But just the same, he joined the cast of the Zendaya-led series Euphoria where the Australian actor takes on his darkest character yet.
Unlike bad boy Noah, Elordi’s Nate Jacobs is a more disturbed individual. And while it’s also been clear from the start that he is nothing like his Euphoria character (he’s even grown close to Zendaya after years of working together), Elordi also understands why the show’s fans might hate him so much.
Jacob Elordi Landed His Euphoria Role After A ‘Super Simple’ Audition
One might expect an HBO series like Euphoria to have an extensive casting process. But for Elordi, that wasn’t the case.
“It was super simple. It was really just like a conventional audition process,” he revealed. “I went down to the casting office, fumbled through my lines and ended up getting called back. And yeah, it was just like that.”
And while the role called for Elordi to play a jock again, he knew that it wasn’t like any other character he had dealt with before, which was critical.
“For me, it was really important because I would never play another jock onscreen if it wasn’t more,” he explained during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
“I’ve read a lot of stuff that’s like “the jock, the jock,” so I’m excited for people to see it. It’s important to me because in the term “stereotypical jock” and “toxic masculinity,” that kind of character can get written off straightaway, the same way as that kid can get written off in real life.”
At the same time, Elordi also realized right away that Euphoria is nothing like The Kissing Booth.
“It’s two completely different experiences. The Kissing Booth was the first film I ever made — it was sort of my ticket to Hollywood, so I was really grateful for that,” he said.
“It’s almost like righting my wrongs a little bit too, because the character in The Kissing Booth is awful and it’s never really explained. He’s kind of idolized and made into a hero, so I suppose this show is showing why.”
He Gets Why Fans Hate His Character: ‘I Would Love To Beat Him Up’
Having already played Nate for two seasons and after everything the character has done, Elordi understands why fans would hate him and it doesn’t even bother him at all.
“I don’t read an awful lot, but from what I do read, it’s kind of humbling because if people can’t differentiate [me from Nate], and saying, ‘I hate this guy’… then maybe that means I did my job well,” the actor pointed out.
And while he has to deal with a lot of hate online because of the character, things aren’t so bad offline. “People are usually quite funny about it, like, ‘Oh, you’re a scary fucking guy!’” Elordi said. “I think in public, people are much more sane than on the internet.”
The actor also wants everyone to know that he feels the same way. Elordi wasn’t even surprised when fans acted the way they did when Nate got beaten up at the end of the season 2 premiere episode.
“They were stoked. They were so happy about it,” he recalled while on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
“I think me as Jacob, I would love to beat him up. Like, I would love to give him a clip around the ears. But as Nate you know, I feel very bad for him.”
In case anyone was wondering, Elordi also knew all along what was coming for Nate. “When I read the script, I kinda knew it was coming [Laughs]. Yeah, I think there was a part of me that knew he was gonna have to get his just desserts at some point,” he explained.
“And it's also a little bit like we left him in that last scene where he sort of has that confrontation with Fez in the first season at the liquor store. You get this feeling like if you dance too close to the flames, you're gonna get burnt. So for me, that was a knowing feeling that it was coming, I just didn't think it would be quite so brutal.”
And while Nate suffered onscreen, Elordi had the best time filming the scene. “We have our great stunt coordinator, Jeff Barnett, he's a legend,” he continued.
“He pretty much just put us in this space, and it was just Angus [Cloud, who plays Fez] and I going nuts on each other, and Angus smashing sugar glass bottles on my head. And it was brutal. It was definitely brutal.”
For Season 3, He’s Happy To See Nate ‘Go Anywhere’
After playing Nate for two seasons, Elordi knows where all his angst is coming from. The actor also believes that that character is not all bad (especially after everything he’s gone through).
“His whole thing is secrets, keeping everything hidden,” he said. “So he’s deliberately misunderstood because he doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve. It’s impossible not to misunderstand him because he’s never being honest.”
And while Elordi has no idea what’s going to happen in season 3, the actor is ready for anything. “I don’t know he’s so unpredictable and Sam (Levinson) is so unpredictable but I’m happy to see it go anywhere,” he told Deadline.
“I trust Sam and he’s a bit of a mad genius so wherever he takes it I’m happy to go.” He later added, “My only hope is maybe I don’t have to walk silently down a high school hallway again.”
Euphoria season 3 is expected to premiere in 2024.
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