Farewell To Maddy Perez, The Complicated Latina Baddie Who Dominated 'euphoria'

It was nan summertime of 2019, and HBO’s caller gritty teen play was everywhere. Love it aliases dislike it, “Euphoria” was unavoidable, and everything from its soon-to-be megastars to nan clothes, constitution and wide artistic of its neon-lit beingness was seeping retired from nan confines of nan surface and into nan existent world.

And astatine nan halfway of this vibe shift, pinch raven-black hairsbreadth and eyeliner arsenic razor-sharp arsenic her comebacks, was Mexican American character Alexa Demie arsenic Maddy Perez.

On paper, Maddy shouldn’t person been a peculiarly singular character. How often person we seen nan celebrated precocious schoolhouse cheerleader navigate a toxic narration pinch nan school’s basking jock? And really routinely person we seen a Latina relegated to nan background, aliases sidelined erstwhile she’s fulfilled her domiciled arsenic a foil — nan temptress, nan toxic girlfriend, nan temperamental champion friend — for nan blonder, whiter characters onscreen to “overcome” arsenic they switch her successful nan spotlight?

Make nary mistake: Maddy was a foil. In a show built astir characters who fought to obscure astir each facet of their existent soul lives, Maddy was refreshingly, sometimes brutally herself. Who tin hide nan infinitesimal she slow-clapped her measurement to infamy successful Season 1, parting a carnival crowd successful her purple I.AM.GIA group arsenic she announced to her boyfriend’s parents, “I’m not expected to beryllium present correct now, because I’m dressed for illustration a hooker, and nary of you for illustration me.”

Barbie Ferreira, from left, Alexa Demie and Sydney Sweeney successful “Euphoria.”

(Eddy Chen/HBO)

In little tin hands, her bitchiness, her vanity, her vindictiveness would person made her one-dimensional. But Demie made her thing more, imbuing Maddy pinch a benignant of gravity and extent that made her arsenic infuriating to watch arsenic she was exciting. Through her, Maddy personified a caller benignant of Latina baddie — 1 who defied constraints, and carried herself pinch a assurance that asked nan remainder of nan world to meet her connected her terms.

As nan show’s narrator, Rue Bennett (Zendaya), says successful Season 1: “Maddy knew who she was from a very early property … She ne'er knew precisely what it was. She conscionable knew that she had thing special. Something intangible. Something immeasurable. And she had that confidence.”

Central to Maddy’s characterization was her style. Demie worked intimately pinch nan show’s constitution and wardrobe stylists to trade Maddy’s look, helping nan characteristic germinate from personification obsessed pinch being nan cleanable woman successful nan first half of Season 1, to a bolder, hyper-feminine rejection of nan softness her fellow had expected of her.

By Seasons 2 and 3, Maddy’s manner became a measurement to pass an aspirational power. Though her soul life was explored little than those of immoderate of nan show’s different characters — we only spot a fistful of scenes astatine Maddy’s house, including an illuminating conflict pinch her mom astir loving personification you shouldn’t — we understand her desire to purpose for a life that was ne'er offered up to personification for illustration her.

In a caller interview pinch nan Hollywood Reporter, showrunner Sam Levinson revealed that Maddy’s characteristic was initially intended to beryllium achromatic and blonde. During nan audition process, he took Demie speech and gave her tips truthful that HBO’s executives wouldn’t deliberation she was “too Latin” for nan part. (Those tips included not wearing red, to “soften up” their cognition of her.) Though it whitethorn symptom maine to say, arsenic a predominant professional of Levinson’s work, it’s clear that moreover he knew that it would beryllium each excessively easy for executives to pigeonhole Demie.

“I was sick of going into those rooms, and this was during that clip erstwhile you’re young and each fewer months you’re conscionable like, ‘I’m quitting, I’m quitting,’ ” she told nan Hollywood Reporter. “But knowing me, I ne'er would person quit. I’m much of nan power of like, ‘No, I’m going to show you I tin do it.’ ”

It’s ridiculous that this is moreover a fearfulness 1 would person to person successful Hollywood, which is already egregiously lacking successful Latina main characters. And while it could beryllium easy to constitute Maddy disconnected arsenic nan nonstop stereotype Levinson wanted to steer Demie distant from, nan reality was much complex.

Many Latinas felt drawn to Maddy precisely because she was truthful acold from nan exemplary number that’s go much celebrated onscreen complete nan past decade. She was flawed, of course, but successful a show pinch a penchant for perpetually one-upping its desire to daze and awe, Maddy’s outbursts were often a reflection of what nan assemblage was thinking: nan lone sound bold capable to opportunity “B—, you amended beryllium joking.”

Barbie Ferreira arsenic Kat, left, and Alexa Demie arsenic Maddy, right, successful nan 2nd play of “Euphoria.”

(Eddy Chen / HBO)

Take her Season 2 clang retired upon uncovering retired that her champion friend, Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), had been seeing her ex down her back. Or during nan Season 2 finale, erstwhile nan hostility betwixt nan 2 erstwhile friends comes to a caput and Maddy chases Cassie down, slapping her and slamming her into a wall.

It’s nan benignant of guidance that perfectly showcases Demie’s predicament successful playing Maddy. From nan beginning, her characteristic was caught successful a double-bind: Convey nan benignant of unbridled affectional and morally questionable reactions you mightiness expect from a teenage woman placed successful precarious scenarios, and beryllium called a cliché; aliases enactment much reserved, coolheaded and mature than her property to debar intimidating others. Maddy rejected those constraints.

Was she a complete jerk? Or conscionable unwilling to get walked each over?

And while plentifulness of group person complained astir nan characteristic arcs passim “Euphoria”’s three-season run, nary 1 tin contradict Maddy’s growth. In Season #, she descends into nan seedy underworld of portion clubs, gangsters and OnlyFans models — leveraging her ain cynical knowing of quality desperation and desire into a profession arsenic a talent manager. She goes from wanting to beryllium a trophy woman pinch thing to do, to braving a world that isn’t built for her, dressing and acting for illustration she already has a spot astatine nan table.

She’s grown up, but she’s still loyal to her ain feelings. So erstwhile Cassie reenters her life, she sees it arsenic an opportunity not conscionable to nonstop revenge but to amended herself successful nan process arsenic Cassie’s manager.

Still arsenic pragmatic and blunt arsenic ever, nan Maddy successful “Euphoria”’s last play uses her style not arsenic artifice, but arsenic designer armor. She’s cautiously constructed her ain way to occurrence — and she wasn’t trying to get location by blending in. So while immoderate of nan show’s characters met untimely aliases tragic ends, Maddy came done nan different broadside arsenic personification much powerful: a Latina who didn’t slice into nan inheritance but, instead, commanded our attention.