Angus Cloud posthumously returns in Euphoria series finale via unused footage

Late Euphoria actor Angus Cloud made a posthumous appearance in the show's series finale via previously unseen test footage.

This article contains major spoilers for the series finale of Euphoria.

The actor, who played drug dealer Fezco O'Neill in the first two seasons of the HBO drama, passed away in July 2023 at the age of 25 after overdosing on a lethal mix of drugs, including the potent synthetic opioid fentanyl.

Instead of writing the character out of the show, creator/showrunner Sam Levinson kept Fez alive but out of sight in prison, and audiences finally saw Cloud on-screen in Sunday night's finale.

During a dream sequence, Zendaya's character Rue sees a TV news report announcing that Fez has escaped from prison and goes on a mission to find him. When she arrives at the store where they used to meet, it cuts to a flashback of Fez and Rue standing together in a field, seeming happy and content as they look out at the horizon.

In an interview with Esquire, Levinson explained that the footage was from an unused test reel taken almost seven years ago while he was trying out new film stock.

"It's footage that never made it into the show," he said. "I thought, oh, it'd be great to use that footage and just see him again - and see the two of them."

While Euphoria has always tackled the theme of drug use and its consequences, Levinson told the outlet that he really wanted to "deal with fentanyl" after what happened to Cloud and others like him.

"This is a real show about a real problem that we have in this country, and that's addiction," he shared in an HBO behind-the-scenes video. "People relapse. They f**k up. They're not ready to get clean. And they weren't dying like they are now with the influx of fentanyl into this country."

The Idol creator, who has been open about his history of substance abuse, continued, "I can say with absolute certainty that if I was going through what I went through when I was younger now, I wouldn't be here either, so... There's no reason to sugarcoat it. I wanted to tell the story for Angus and for people who weren't granted a second chance."

To hammer home his message in the finale, Rue, who had been clean after years of sobriety struggles, fatally overdosed on the opioid painkiller Percocet laced with fentanyl.

After the finale aired, Levinson and HBO officials confirmed that the show had concluded after three seasons.