Key Highlights
- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s death in ‘Euphoria’ season three was a pivotal moment.
- The actor and creator had a reflective discussion about his character’s journey.
- Akinnuoye-Agbaje is known for his method acting approach and his impact on the series.
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s Journey in Euphoria
You might think this is new, but Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s death in ‘Euphoria’ season three was not always supposed to happen the way it did. In the first iterations of the script, his character, Alamo Brown, went out on top—defeated drug kingpin Laurie and taken out another adversary when his final moment came. But then Akinnuoye-Agbaje and creator Sam Levinson got to talking, and they realized the moment needed something more poignant.
A More Substantive Arc
And so, it was decided that Alamo would watch everyone celebrating at the strip club, feeling too sick to eat his steak, and then professing his desire to find love and start a family. It was a far cry from the ruthlessness that dominated the season but Akinnuoye-Agbaje is pleased with the reflective arc.
Method Acting Approach
The actor, a veteran of prestige projects for the past 30 years, makes it a habit to be inquisitive about his roles. His high-level character analysis earned him a breakout role on ‘Oz’, the groundbreaking HBO series about life inside a maximum security prison. During his audition, he suggested to Levinson and co-creator Tom Fontana that the character, who was written as an American gang-banger, actually be African.
Reflections and Realizations
Later, after working together, Akinnuoye-Agbaje reveals that Sam revealed that he was so scared straight by Simon Adebisi when he was younger that he believes it is what kept him out of prison. When he got the call that HBO was looking for their prime antagonist in season three, and was “casting a wide net” in the search, Akinnuoye-Agbaje was instantly interested.
Character Analysis
He had been trying to figure out why Alamo was in the strip club business and told Sam about his idea that Alamo has this theory that everything on two legs comes out of a woman and we spend the rest of our lives trying to go back in there. He held steadfast to that even when the elder Levinson came, along with Sam’s mother, to visit the set—a reunion that he describes as “a lovely full circle moment.”
Respect and Farewell
Throughout this season, Akinnuoye-Agbaje felt more attention from the public than ever. He knows that being the face of the man responsible for the death of the show’s protagonist—while still happy to bid him farewell—is a personal matter. “Zendaya has created this character who is beloved by a generation,” he says, adding that Alamo was an amazing character to play but now it’s time to leave him with the voracious fans.
So there you have it, Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s journey in ‘Euphoria’ season three. A story of reflection and realizations that resonates deeply.
