HBO defends 'Euphoria' following background actors' claims of a toxic workplace and mistreatment on set

• HBO defended "Euphoria" after background actors said they were mistreated while shooting season 2.
• HBO said there were "never any formal inquiries raised" regarding the accusations in a statement to Variety.

HBO defended "Euphoria" after background actors said they were mistreated while filming season two.

In a statement to Insider on Saturday, an HBO spokesperson denied accusations that the popular series' set was "toxic" and violated SAG-AFTRA conditions. Production said they prioritized the well-being of the cast and crew while remaining in full compliance with safety guidelines and protocols.

"It's not uncommon for drama series to have complex shoots, and COVID protocols add an additional layer," the statement reads. "We maintain an open line of communication with all the guilds, including SAG-AFTRA. There were never any formal inquiries raised."

On Friday, The Daily Beast's Cheyenne Roundtree reported that on-set conditions were so difficult that "people began dropping like flies."

"The report said that some background actors made "multiple complaints" to SAG-AFTRA, alleging that production crew failed to provide meals on time and refused to let people use the bathroom. The Daily Beast reported that background actors also complained of working long hours.

"But it got to a point where I was like, I'm still a person, I'm still human," one background actor told the outlet. "Please let me go to the restroom, don't tell me I can't go for 30 minutes or tell me I can't get a snack when you're not going to feed me and it's 4 a.m. It just very much felt like we didn't exist as people."

Another background actor added that "Euphoria" was the "most disorganized set" they've ever seen.

"There were times after 14 hours we were told, 'This is the last scene, we're done after lunch,' we took lunch, waited around two and a half hours, and then we went back to set," the actor told The Daily Beast. "It felt toxic to me because I don't think anybody was really happy to be there."

In a statement to the outlet, a SAG-AFTRA spokesperson said "all actors should benefit from the protections our members enjoy, and production companies signed to our agreements need to follow our safety protocols, wage and hour rules, and other protections—regardless of an actor's union status."

Some of the show's principal actors have also spoken out about the show's working conditions.

Jacob Elordi, who plays Nate Jacobs on "Euphoria," told The Hollywood Reporter's Christy Piña in February that he sometimes worked 16-hour days.

"I think about what I said in an interview about the party being hell, that's just me being tired and lazy. That's the human part of me, not the acting part. But we do shoot really long days; sometimes 16-hour days," Elordi added that the long days are necessary for a show of that caliber. HBO did not publicly respond to Elordi's comments.