Jacob Elordi opened up about the extreme measures he took to film his character’s death in Euphoria’s final season, detailing an unexpectedly surreal experience that included being locked in a coffin with a live reptile for an extended period of time. The 29-year-old actor discussed his return to the show and the various challenging scenarios creator Sam Levinson crafted for his character Nate’s exit.During his appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Elordi joked that his last few episodes have been very demanding. “I think Sam brought me back to torture me,” he told co-star Coleman Domingo, who was hosting the evening. The actor described the whole experience as grueling, recalling weeks of corporal punishment. “It was like I was beaten by a seven-foot-tall guy for six weeks,” he explained.
The actor joked that the snake used during filming was very calm and curled up at his feet, showing no threat. Image source (Instagram)
Jacob Elordi on the coffin and burial sceneDiscussing the most extreme scene in which his character dies, Elordi provides graphic details about the filming process. His character Nate was buried alive in the final episode and eventually died from a rattlesnake bite, leaving Elodie to spend a long time in an unusual space.
Elordi said creator Sam Levinson put him through physically demanding scenes, including being buried alive as part of Nate’s final storyline. Image source (Instagram)
“I was locked in a coffin for two days with a prosthetic leg and a prosthetic tongue, and I couldn’t see out of my eyes. Then Sam put the snake in the coffin,” Elordi shared, describing the sensory deprivation and claustrophobia of the experience. Although the scene seemed nightmarish, the actor showed an unexpected attitude towards the ordeal.
Jacob Elordi on the surprisingly docile nature of boa constrictors
Surprisingly, Elordi was happy with the arrangement, even though he shared limited space with a live python that played the role of a rattlesnake in the final sequence. Rather than being threatened by the reptiles, the actor found the experience surprisingly benign.“He had a great personality. He was very docile and sleepy. I don’t think he had a lot of sun,” Elordi recalled of the snake’s demeanor. “I was kind of nudging him, trying to get him active, doing the scene, because he was meant to be threatening. But he was like a puppy. He just kept curling up at my feet,” he added, describing the snake’s reluctance to make the threatening moves the scene required.The actor elaborated on the snake’s movements during filming. “He would fall down the tube, and he would slide down, and then he would find a warm place,” explains Elordi, who paints a portrait of a creature more interested in comfort than delivering a convincing performance as a deadly reptile.
Jacob Elordi shows surprising positivity about ordeal
Despite the various painful situations his character faced in the final episodes, Elordi insists the experience was ultimately enjoyable. He uses pragmatic logic to rationalize his enthusiasm for these grueling scenes.“You don’t have lines. So you just say, ‘Ahhh!’ and that’s all you have to do. It’s great,” he explained, emphasizing the simplicity of performing non-verbal death scenes after the complexity of previous seasons.
Despite enduring snakes and coffins on set, Elordi admits that murky dishwater scares him more than either, calling it one of his biggest fears. Image source (Instagram)
The Unexpected Fear of Jacob ElordiWhile Elodie showed remarkable composure around snakes and coffins, he revealed three real sources of anxiety that had nothing to do with reptiles or confined spaces. When asked about his fears, he listed “darkness, dying and—perhaps most shocking to the audience and Domingo—dishwater.”The actor elaborated on his distaste for doing chores involving dishwater. “You know, when the inside gets like a little bit of chicken, a little bit of leftover lentils. It’s lukewarm the whole time. There’s nothing you can do about it. You stick your finger in it,” Elordi explained, looking pained at the thought. His visceral reaction to the concept prompted the host to question how dishwater could be scarier than sharing a coffin with a python.However, Elordi’s reasoning clearly illustrates his phobia. “You don’t know what’s in the dishwater,” he says, suggesting that the unknowable elements lurking in the murky waters represent the real source of fear more than any controlled shot of scenes involving reptiles or elaborate prosthetics.Euphoria is currently available to stream on HBO Max.