Euphoria, the second most watched show on HBO (behind Game of Thrones) has not only been a financial success but a critical whirlwind. Running for two seasons, it’s won both a Primetime Emmy and Satellite Award for the lead Zendaya and received numerous nominations including a nod from the British Academy Television Awards for Best International Program. Based on the Israeli series of the same name, the compelling drama follows the life of a young drug addict and her friends as they deal with sex, anxiety, depression and more.

I’m a huge fan of Euphoria myself, because it’s just so well done. The script, the directing, the acting, the cinematography, the editing, the message… and it’s always surprising because it pushes the boundaries. Heck it even has Hunter Schafer, the trans-woman supporting actress. But nothing seems to get people more interested in the show than the second season casting of former adult actress, Chloe Cherry. It’s amazing how much judgment the industry puts up with yet give the world a chance to see a real live porn star in action and they lose their minds.

Cherry plays Faye, a dopey young woman who nurses a heroin addiction. She stumbles around with nothing much to say in her signature short shorts, big doe eyes and pouty, glossed lips. Slightly dumb or maybe just so high she can’t think straight, she’s also surprisingly sweet – you can’t help but love her. But the main thing about Cherry’s portrayal of Faye is, she steals every scene she’s in. I’d be willing to bet, for a legion of viewers, it’s because she was in the industry. They’re dying to see if she can act (she can) while at the same time secretly hoping she takes her clothes off during the show. Afterall, Euphoria is artsy, it’s allowed.

Starring in hundreds of adult films with over 125 million views on porn hub, Cherry was discovered by series creator Sam Levinson. Rumor is he found her in a porn parody video where she starred as Hunter Schafer’s character Jules. Whatever the truth, it’s genius marketing because it gives the mainstream viewers the warm fuzzies that she was plucked out of the abyss to become the legit star she is today. Cherry, however, hasn’t given any fodder to the notion that she was a poor little girl saved from a life of porn. Other than saying it caused her to have an eating disorder (and let’s face it that’s not specific to the adult industry just ask anyone in entertainment or fashion) she talked about her past profession with nothing but respect; crediting the industry to giving her the experience she needed to book the job.

In an interview with Homepage she stated: “I’ve always had good comedic timing [in adult]… a lot of my work’s been very funny, and I got so much acting experience. Can you imagine waking up in the morning, going to work, and then you learn what your character and lines are? Or finding out the day before? … I’ve played so many different characters, too.” When people asked how a girl like her could ever land such a role she further said: “We’re in 2022 and after a pandemic, is that really what we’re going to put our energy toward? This person was in porn so they can’t do this and that? Look at how much people stream it… people shouldn’t be surprised that someone did porn. Porn is an art form in this world that people should respect.” Amen.

Go check out Euphoria Season 2 and see what ya think.

Image by JESHOOTS.com from Pexels