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[This story contains spoilers from the second episode of Euphoria season three.]

Martha Kelly is as surprised watching Euphoria as the rest of us. The comedian and character actor, who received her first Emmy nomination for her menacingly deadpan turn as drug-dealer Laurie last season, came back this year for season three to wreak more havoc for Rue (Zendaya), even with the five-year time jump. This much Kelly knows: Laurie drew her former teenage hostage back into her web, “offering” to employ her to work off her debt, only for Rue to again escape — this time into the home of another drug lord, Laurie’s seeming rival Alamo Brown (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje). As for everything else happening in the show, though? “I don’t know a lot of what happens this season because I only saw my own scenes,” Kelly says. 

Much about Euphoria has been a discovery for Kelly, who made her acting debut to wide acclaim in Zach Galifianakis’s Baskets. She came into the show intimidated by the caliber of talent and intensity of focus given to every frame, and was worn out by the deeply disturbing material she was given in season two. But as the second episode of this third season clarifies, that load has lightened a little bit: The installment initiates the brewing feud between Laurie and Alamo, with her calling him a “fucking pig” over a tense phone call before he sends a literal, defecating pig over to her home in retaliation. Kelly at least knows what happens next in that world, but she’s not telling — only that, yeah, she wants Rue back, and she may not know the best way to go about that.  

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How is Euphoria mania going for you?

Anytime in my life when I’m leading up to something exciting, I just get paralyzed with dread — and then once it aired, it was really fun.

It’s got to feel like you’re in a Marvel movie or something, with all of the secrets you must be keeping. How are you managing? 

I try not to say anything about specific things that happen, and I’m still not really talking a lot about even the first episode in my TikToks because I’ve seen the first three episodes and I don’t want to mix up what happens accidentally. The other thing that makes it easy is: In every episode I’ve seen so far, there’s stuff that happens that I was like, “That’s wild.”

What was the biggest surprise of the first two episodes for you?

Rue driving over the wall in Mexico. Rue and Faye having to swallow all those balloons.

I’m surprised you didn’t know about that part!

I really didn’t know that! I mean, I knew that they smuggled drugs, but I didn’t know how that was done, so I thought they had one large bag of drugs that they somehow got down, or maybe they got implanted or something. And I didn’t know any of the stuff about Maddie or Lexi. I didn’t know anything about Cassie and Nate. I didn’t know about Rue going to Alamo’s house and all that stuff that happened. I didn’t know about any of that. 

When you got into it for season three, did you feel more comfortable in the role? Was there anything you wanted to play around with?

In season two, all my scenes were on a sound stage. That was Laurie’s dark, ominous home, and all of the material was really heavy and honestly upsetting. Whereas season three, she’s still a dangerous, terrible villain, but it’s in a different location — we shot on location — and there are other actors in it. Rue, thank God, is not a child anymore and there’s not a lot of the kind of skin crawling, “Laurie is a predator and we don’t know how far she’ll go with a kid” — which is what season two was like. So this was more fun for sure. And also you get to see Laurie as not the smartest business person.

This season overall is a bit more comic, so that fits into what you’re talking about, I think. 

A lot of the characters, in the five-year time jump, have fallen from the high hopes that we had for them as an audience when they were in high school — which sadly often happens for people out of high school, who have a great time and then get out in the world and things aren’t as amazing in your early twenties as you hope. Laurie gave a suitcase full of drugs to a teenager and then kidnapped her and then passed out high allowing this girl to escape. So it’s already like, yeah, of course this character is going to have fallen a little. (Laughs) 

Within the first three episodes, my biggest laugh remains when you just rattled off the amount that Rue owes you, from the season premiere.

When I said that number, I was like, this must be a joke. It can’t really be the amount she would owe. I made a video on TikTok yesterday saying, “I don’t even know if the math is right or if it’s just supposed to be an exaggeration.” Some people in the comments were like, “No, the math is correct. That is what it would be with that wild interest.” And I’m like, “Wow.”

The second episode fully establishes the tension between Laurie and Alamo — with Rue caught in the middle. She sort of loses control by calling him a “fucking pig.” Then he sends a literal pig her way. What’s going on there?

One of my shortcomings as an actor is that I don’t ask that many questions about the motivations of characters except for when we’re about to shoot a scene. “Is this line supposed to be angry?” But I didn’t actually ask Sam about that. My impression is that Laurie, like a lot of narcissists or sociopaths — whichever she is, maybe both — has convinced herself that she cares about Rue, although nothing about the way that she forces Rue into being a drug mule is caring. She has convinced herself that she has some kind of attachment to her and also is feeling like maybe she’s getting a little bit more on top again by having Rue.

So she found her and she’s making her run drugs for them — and then Rue goes with Alamo. They have a contentious past that started out not as enemies, and then by the time this season starts, she’s selling drugs to him — because partly she’s not a great business person and also because like, “Well, I’ll sell drugs to anybody.” But she thinks he’s a bad person. There’s something weird about people like Laurie where if they meet someone who’s as bad as them or worse, especially if that person hurts them personally, their sense of injustice and outrage is completely clueless. Normal people would go, “You’re kind of awful too.” But people like her are like, “How could anyone do this to me?”

You’re a comic actor and took on this very intense, dramatic role back in season two. What was it like joining the world?

I had a great time shooting it. I really love Sam Levinson and Zendaya and everybody I got to work with — it’s a great crew. But I was very nervous about it coming out because I thought Euphoria fans tended to be pretty young and very passionate and very sensitive, so I was prepared for them to hate the character — and possibly hate me by association. I was also very insecure about my acting because the cast on that show is way up here, and I’m a comedic character actor. I was like, “There’s a chance people are going to be like, This bitch ruined our favorite show.” I was really, really relieved and happy when that wasn’t the reaction. 

I would imagine it’s a very different group of fans stopping you on the street than Baskets fans.

I love Baskets fans too. It was a really important part of my life and I love the people on that show. The Euphoria fans are more prone in public — because a lot of them are Gen Z — to shy-laugh a little bit and say, “Do you play Laurie on Euphoria?” I say yes, they say something nice and then they’ll often say, “Can I get a picture with you?” And I always say “Yes, as long as you don’t mind that I’m not good at taking pictures.” And then they take a selfie with me and then they go, “thank you, love you” or whatever. Not always “love you” but very sweet. Then they go about their business.

Given your anxieties about doing something in such a different register, did you watch the second season? If so, what was that like?

I always watch myself. I’m like Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown — where I am Lucy and Charlie Brown. While I watch it I go, “Maybe this is the thing where I’ll be like, Hey, maybe I am a good actor.” And then I watch it and I go, ugh — about the way I look on screen and my acting ability. But the longer that I’ve been lucky enough to do this, the more I’ve tried to go into it being like everybody’s job has stuff that’s hard. And if the hardest thing for this great job is seeing myself on screen, who cares?

Did you think about how to make her scary, within your particular skillset?

I think that honestly, I just think that Sam’s writing and Zendaya’s acting are really what make her scary. He decided to create a mild-mannered sociopath; in real life, those are the scariest people, the disarming, vulnerable, seemingly nice ones who have no conscience. I kind of talk and have the same mannerisms in every role, so he just wrote it to where that’s how it would be me just acting the way I do and everything I’m in, honestly. 

What has it been like to shape the character opposite Zendaya? What does she bring to those scenes for you? 

I was really intimidated in season two partly because she’s really gifted. She’d be just making small talk with someone touching up her makeup, or with Sam or someone else in the crew, and then it’s like, “Okay, camera rolling, action” — and she could go right into really deep emotions. It is a high level of natural talent and a high level of skill and discipline. It’s a thrill to work with. It made me excited to get to work with her also just because she doesn’t act like one of the most famous people in the world on set. She acts like everybody else, so she doesn’t make it intimidating — her talent is intimidating.

As you mentioned earlier, there’s a lot going on in Laurie’s house this season — we see her associates, we see her bird. What was working in the space like? 

There was also a rat that lives in that house that we all got to see. He had a penchant for coming out once the camera was rolling, getting in the shot and sometimes scaring people. This house was a location in the movie Nope, and it also was in an episode of Baskets. The second or third day shooting there, Jeff Barnett, our stunt coordinator was also stunt coordinator on Baskets, was there; I was like, “This looks so much like that house,” and that was almost 10 years ago. I asked Jeff and he said “This is the house.” So that was fun. It’s way more fun to be part of a group all in it together than to just be a creepy, despicable character being terrible to a kid in a dark sound stage.

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Euphoria releases new episodes Sundays at 6 p.m. PT on HBO Max.

Taylor Frankie Paul has reacted to the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office announcing they are not filing charges against her following two separate investigations into domestic violence allegations.

“Here come the ugly parts of what healing actually looks like,” she began a lengthy post Sunday on Instagram. “If you know me you know I’ll admit my parts, flaws, and faults. I’m well aware thats apart of it. We’ll get there. This public atrocity that I not only lived through once but twice now, on even a bigger scale was ultimately the cost to my freedom. I wouldn’t wish this upon my worst enemy or even the ones who publicized it. I cried on my knees in pain while also saying THANK YOU 🙏🏼”

Paul then acknowledged that she’s still feeling the emotional effects of all that’s transpired and shared some symbolism she saw in the timing of learning the charges were dropped.

“We have a road ahead but regardless I’m forever freed from a certain living hell I couldn’t find my way out of,” she continued. “Metaphorically someone witnessed me bleeding out and poured salt all over me… somehow I’m still here.. as we can see barely because I believe God held me through and sent help plus an army which makes me cry because, thank you to all of you that supported even without full context 🙏🏼 God undoubtedly had a hand in this because after waiting 7 weeks on the 7th day EXACTLY I received the call all charges dropped. Those are his numbers symbolic for his plans which I’m nervous to see what’s in store … steps moving forward are the very basics. We’re working on eating, movement, rest, and retraining the nervous system. I’ll be sharing the process, because if my worst is shared better bet I’ll share the rebuilding too.”

The post included three selfies of Paul, in which she’s hiding her face with her phone.

In another post on her Instagram Stories on Sunday, Paul wrote, “I diagnosed with PTSD about two years ago which I assume is now cptsd [complex post-traumatic stress disorder]…by more than one therapist for all those that assumed diagnoses.”

In March, it was reported that The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives paused filming following an alleged February domestic incident between Paul and her ex Dakota Mortensen that was being investigated by the Draper City Police Department. On March 25, it was later revealed that Paul was under investigation for an alleged third domestic violence incident involving her and Mortensen in 2024, which was being led by the West Jordan Police Department. (Prior, Paul was arrested in 2023 for another incident with Mortensen, with the fallout being documented on season one of Mormon Wives.)

Salt Lake City’s ABC 4 confirmed April 14 that the DA will not be filing charges against Paul for either of those alleged incidents. The outlet noted that because incidents occurred over three years ago, the statute of limitations has expired for those events, per the DA.

The events that occurred within the statute of limitations reportedly “lack sufficient evidence to support filing criminal charges where the state must be able to prove such allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.”

“Such incidents lack specificity as to when and what actually occurred or corroboration,” the Salt Lake City DA’s report notes, per ABC 4. “Based on the evidence submitted for screening by the Draper Police Department and West Jordan Police Department, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office declines to file any charges.”

After the investigation tied to the alleged February incident was made public, a video of the events leading to Paul’s 2023 arrest was leaked to TMZ on March 19. The video showed Paul throwing barstools at Mortensen while her daughter present; a few hours later, ABC pulled Paul’s Bachelorette season, which was set to air on March 22.

After the network revealed the decision, a rep for Paul released a statement thanking ABC for their support.

“Taylor is very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security,” a spokesperson for Paul said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “After years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm.”

On April 7, Paul and Mortensen appeared in court over an existing order of protection he had filed against the Mormon Wives star. An hour before their appearance, Paul filed a temporary restraining order against Mortensen, which she was granted.

In Paul’s filing, which was obtained by THR, she alleges that Mortensen has a “pattern of abusive conduct and coercive control.” She recounted several alleged incidents in the filing, and alleged that as the premiere for her season of The Bachelorette grew closer, “Dakota became increasingly possessive.”

During an incident on Feb. 23, which was under investigation, Paul alleged that Mortensen came to her home where her three children were asleep to talk about their relationship, a day after they got into a verbal altercation about the same topic, and they entered his vehicle to talk, and he drove away without her consent.

In the filing, Paul claims she “pleaded with him to make me home, but he continued driving away,” and they began to argue, and then Mortensen “became physically violent.”

“The parties argued and Dakota assaulted Taylor by slamming her head against the dashboard of his truck and striking her knee and elbow,” the filing alleges, which also included photos of Paul’s bruises and screenshots of text messages between the two.

On March 20, NBC News reported on a Zoom call the Mormon Wives cast had with Disney execs, where they voiced concerns about continuing to film with Paul. A source close to the situation told THR that the cast call with Disney execs was held so the executives could inform the women that the show was going on pause amid their own investigation. The women were informed that filming for season five was to be paused until production’s investigation, which is separate from the law enforcement investigation, concludes. 

When Beef creator Lee Sung Jin finally settled on the premise for season two of the hit anthology series, he had one actor in mind — Charles Melton.

Lee decided to take matters into his own hands, calling up Gold House founder Bing Chen to cash in a favor. The writer-director asked to be seated next to Melton at a dinner they’d both be attending to honor the actor, so he could pitch him the second season. “I remember just being immensely flattered because I didn’t know he went to the extent that he went to sit next to me,” Melton tells The Hollywood Reporter during the show’s season two junket.

“It was amazing to have Lee Sung Jin, Sonny, the creator, show me a picture of my face and say, ‘This is in the writer’s room and we’re writing it for you,’” Melton continues. “I was completely astonished.”

Beef’s second season leaves behind the parking lot feuds, instead focusing on two couples, one millennial (Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan) and one Gen Z (Melton and Cailee Spaeny), working at a California country club. The new season follows “a Gen Z couple [who] witnesses an alarming fight between their millennial boss and his wife,” according to the synopsis.

“Newly-engaged Ashley Miller (Spaeny) and Austin Davis (Melton), both lower-level staff at a country club, become entangled in the unraveling marriage of their general manager, Joshua Martín (Isaac), and his wife, Lindsay Crane-Martín (Mulligan),” the synopsis continues.

Melton says he and Lee “really got to know each other” over the course of season two. “One of the many great things about Sonny as a collaborator, as a filmmaker, he creates so much space. There’s this vulnerability of just trust,” Melton says. “Sometimes we would speak on the phone, I promise you, 60 plus hours, just in a week.”

Isaac and Mulligan also say they’d spend several hours a week speaking with Lee about the show. “My Oura rang legit says I’ve averaged four hours of sleep for the last two years,” Lee jokes. “So, it comes at a cost.”

Similar to the genesis of season one, Lee took inspiration from a real-life event for the central beef of season two, which came after cycling through several ideas of what the latest installment’s premise could be. “It just goes to show that real life is so much more interesting than anything my writer brain can come up with,” says Lee.

The writer says he overheard a real-life “heated debate” coming from a couple’s home in his neighborhood. When he relayed what he’d overheard, he realized one key difference in how the generations reacted to the tale. “I found that my younger peers were a lot like Ashley and Austin [asking], ‘did you call the police?’” he recounts. “My similarly aged or older peers were just kind of like, ‘yeah, big deal.”

He adds, “I just thought, ‘oh, that’s a show.’” Lee says he hadn’t seen anything juxtaposing younger love versus older love since Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, and that he felt like TV and film tended to examine just one couple.

“Then as you dig in, we find that the passage of time became such a bigger theme, and you have actually four Russian nesting dolls of couples showing the four seasons of life,” the creator explains. “I think at the end, it became a meditation of [the idea that] the stages of life come for everybody, and what are you going to do at the end of it?”

Heated Rivalry showrunner Jacob Tierney is teasing the storylines and “new challenges” that will be at the center of the queer hockey romance drama’s second season.

While speaking at a BookCon panel on Saturday, alongside the book series’ author Rachel Reid, Tierney got candid about Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) being “in much more serious territory” in the second installment, set to be released next year.

“It’s different. It really is different,” he said. “And the challenge of it, from an adaptation point of view, is that you’re in much more serious territory. A lot of the initial — there’s still lots of flirting and lots of sex — but this kind of danger, this kind of hotel-room-adolescent-sex stuff is largely gone. And so it presents really new challenges.”

After Shane and Ily confessed their love for each other at the end of season one, season two — which will focus on The Long Game, the sequel to Heated Rivalry in Reid’s Game Changer series — sees the couple navigate being in a secret relationship.

But Tierney revealed that the show’s season installment, which is also being cowritten by Michael Goldbach, will include part of Role Model, the fifth book in the series. Role Model largely unfolds concurrently with the plot of The Long Game, focusing on Ilya’s new Ottawa teammate, Troy, and the team’s social media manager, Harris, making the Russian hockey player a major part of the story.

“Part of the reason you start off with Heated Rivalry, as far as adapting goes, is because you want to get to The Long Game,” the showrunner explained to the panel’s audience. “Because The Long Game is an emotionally sophisticated book that takes this couple seriously. What I’ve always said about this show is there are a lot of books — Game Changer is in Heated Rivalry and obviously, as I think you guys all know by now — obviously parts of Role Model are going to be in [season two], to the great surprise of absolutely nobody. But Ilya and Shane are the heartbeat of this series, of my show. It’s always going to be about Ilya and Shane; that is what is the trajectory that runs through it as their world expands.”

The realities and challenges that come with romantic relationships are something Tierney is notably looking forward to unpacking in season two. He even recalled a major fight between Shane and Ilya being one of his favorite moments from The Long Game.

“There’s a Bergman-y kind of, what do you do after the rush of danger is gone and now you have to live in a relationship where you still aren’t communicating properly, much as you would like to?” he said. “You can say you love each other, but as adults know, there’s so much more to making a relationship a success.”

Tierney noted that The Long Game isn’t the only storyline that’s “here to ground this in something that feels very real,” but that Role Model also gets quite deep.

“The same thing with Troy and Harris, right. I think there’s an easy, facile way of looking at Role Model as it’s very grumpy/sunshine, it’s very apple orchard. It can drift into things that you want,” he explained. “But Troy is a really damaged guy. And Troy is quite damaged on the show. I would say we are digging into that even harder. Because that’s what’s interesting.”

Heated Rivalry season two, from Canadian streamer Crave and airing on HBO Max in the U.S., is set to be released next year. Reid also previously announced that she’ll be publishing her seventh book, Unrivaled, in the Game Changers series in June 2027.