Claims Euphoria creator Sam Levinson ‘copied’ show’s initial look from a female director go viral after he took a new direction for panned third season

Euphoria creator Sam Levinson has faced resurgent accusations that he copied the show’s initial idea from famed photographer and director Petra Collins.

The plot of the HBO program, which tells the life of drug addict Rue (Zendaya) and her high school friends, is said to be inspired by the 2012 Israeli series of the same name.

However, Canadian-Hungarian artist Petra has previously claimed that Sam approached her before creating the show and was ‘inspired’ by her photographs, and was interested in her leading the show with her aesthetic.

Petra, 33, claims she “created a whole world for it and did the casting herself.” [And at] At the last minute, HBO said: “We’re not hiring you because you’re too young.” According to a source, Sam denied his version of events.

Fans noted similarities between Petra’s work and the first two seasons of Euphoria, but the third season, which was met with critical criticism, saw Sam take a different approach.

Although Petra first made these claims in 2023, her words recently went viral after Euphoria fans called for a return to the aesthetic of previous seasons.

Canadian-Hungarian artist Petra (left, with Euphoria star Alex Demie) claimed Sam approached her before making the show and told her he was ‘inspired’ by her photos

Viewers on

‘The aesthetics of the Euphoria season are beautiful. I’m calling you Petra Collins’;

‘Watching this season of Euphoria makes me feel deeply depressed thinking about what this show used to be, but it makes me believe that what we saw in the first season was Petra Collins’ Euphoria, not Sam Levinson’s.’

In his interview in 2023 PunktPetra claims that she moved to Los Angeles and worked on the show for five months at HBO, after which she stayed above her age.

He added: ‘A year later I walked out of my flat and saw this billboard [advertising Euphoria]And that’s exactly what I am, a replica of my work. I started to cry. I was so shocked. I mean, this has happened to me many times in my career, but not on this large a scale.’

About the impact this had on her work, Petra continued: ‘I had to change my style because of enthusiasm. ‘A lot of people started taking photos in this style and I didn’t feel like it was my own anymore and I felt disconnected from it.’

At the time, a source close to Sam denied Petra’s events to The Daily Beast, saying “it’s very widely known that Euphoria is a remake of an Israeli show” and that he had only offered to “put his name in the ring” to direct the pilot.

The insider continued: ‘As a fan of his, he was hoping there would be possibilities of them working together like this. However, nothing promised ever happened.

‘It wouldn’t even be possible for him to do that because ultimately it was the channel’s decision.’

The Daily Mail has contacted Sam’s representatives and HBO for comment.

Euphoria fans have certainly noticed a twist in season three, with Sam coming under scrutiny thanks to Sydney Sweeney’s ‘humiliating’ OnlyFans story, which has been described as a ‘humiliation ritual’.

Since its inception in 2019, the show has been notorious for breaking boundaries with graphic depictions of teen drug use, sex and violence.

However, viewers claimed that Sam’s ‘disturbing’ and ‘misogynistic’ storylines in the new season ‘lost the plot’.

Fans have pointed out the similarities between Petra’s work and the first two seasons of Euphoria (above is the poster for season one; below is one of Petra’s photos)

Although Petra first made these claims in 2023, her words recently went viral after Euphoria fans called for a return to the aesthetic of previous seasons.

Fans were appalled by how far Sydney’s character, Cassie Howard, was willing to go with her most X-rated scenes to date.

While filming content for OnlyFans, Cassie dresses like an ‘adult doll’ and gets completely naked in scenes.

Fans were also disturbed by Cassie’s ‘puppy play’ exploits when she dressed up as a dog in underwear, which resulted in Sam having to defend the scenes.

Sam told The Hollywood Reporter: ‘[Cassie] It has a doghouse, little dog ears and nose, and that has its own humor, but what creates the scene is that it’s the maid who pulls it off.

‘What we always want to find is that other layer of absurdity that we can attach to it so that we don’t stay inside its fantasy or illusion – the joke, the jumping out, the breaking down the wall.’

Meanwhile, Sydney told Entertainment Tonight: ‘So Cassie is a crazy character.

‘This season she will do anything it takes to become famous and makes a lot of crazy and interesting choices.’

Sam has previously defended the explicit nature of her work, stating at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival: ‘We live in a very sexualised world. ‘The impact of pornography on the psyche of young people is very powerful indeed.’

Euphoria airs Sundays at 9pm ET/PT on HBO. The series airs in the UK on Mondays at 2am and 9pm on Sky Atlantic and on HBO Max and Sky Go/NOW.