Can you believe we're finally able to watch the much-anticipated, years-in-the-making Euphoria season 3? For so long, it felt like the third installment of the HBO series wasn't going to happen, but it's here—and so is much of the original cast, plus a big group of new recurring characters and guest stars.
A lot has changed since we last left the Euphoria teens. For one thing, they're not high schoolers anymore; season 3 includes a much-discussed time jump setting them firmly in their twenties, and the trailer reveals that all hell has broken loose for Rue, Cassie, Jules, and the rest of the crew. Euphoria season three appears to have quite the tone shift from the high school drama of the past; from what we've seen thus far, this next chapter looks even grittier and high-stakes than its predecessors, which is really saying something.
There are a lot of new faces in the cast, including a plethora of Emmy, Tony, and Oscar nominees and winners, not to mention Rosalía in her first major acting role! Many details are still under wraps, as Euphoria loves a thrilling surprise or two.
Ahead, here are some of the actors you'll see in Euphoria season 3, including longtime favorites and new characters.
Primary cast
Zendaya has won two Emmy Awards for her work as Rue Bennett, the main character of the series. Rue has been dealing with her drug addiction throughout Euphoria and that plotline appears to continue in season three. When we reunited with her in episode one, she's working for Laurie, who is looking for a return on her investment from season two—with interest!—and trying to figure out what's next.
Zendaya, who grew up in California, rose to fame on the Disney Channel series Shake It Off and KC Undercover, then landed roles in the Spider-Man movies—where she met her future (alleged) husband Tom Holland. Zendaya's film credits include the musical The Greatest Showman, the Dune films, Challengers, and her latest release, The Drama. She is also set to do some voice acting work in Shrek 5.
In addition to her acting work, Zendaya appeared on Dancing with the Stars in 2013 and also released an album.
Playing the cruel, tortured jock Nate Jacobs was one of Australian actor Jacob Elordi's breakout roles and he's been on an upward trajectory ever since. Before landing the role of Nate, Elordi starred in the popular The Kissing Booth franchise. Since then, he's starred in Saltburn, Priscilla (as Elvis, no less!), Wuthering Heights, and Frankenstein, for which he received his first Oscar nomination.
In season three of Euphoria, we see Nate running a construction business and preparing to marry Cassie, but he also drops the words “my Maddy,” which leads us to believe he's not quite over his ex yet either.
Sydney Sweeney plays Cassie, the beautiful but insecure sister of Lexi and future wife of Nate Jacobs. Her secret relationship with Nate was exposed during season two and led to her breakup with best friend Maddy. Now, she's engaged to Nate and feeling jealous about what she sees on social media, leading her to create an OnlyFans-style content stream.
Sweeney grew up in Washington state and landed small roles before joining the cast of Netflix's Everything Sucks in 2018, which led to more projects—including a small role in HBO's Sharp Objects and Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale. She earned an Emmy nod for her work as Cassie, as well as another nomination for her role on season one of HBO's The White Lotus. Sweeney has starred in a variety of film projects and also worked as a producer, most recently starring in The Housemaid opposite Amanda Seyfried. She also recently launched her own lingerie brand, SYRN.
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Alexa Demie stars as Maddy, Cassie's former best friend and Nate's former girlfriend. According to show creator Sam Levinson, season three finds Maddy working at a Hollywood talent agency and pursuing her own “side hustles.” In one trailer, we see Cassie and Maddy reunited, which will definitely be interesting to watch.
Demie grew up in Los Angeles and has appeared in a few roles outside of Euphoria, including the movies Waves and Mid90s and the TV series The OA. (She also made a quick cameo in HBO's The Idol.) In addition, she's worked in fashion, including launching a sunglasses line called Mainframe, and has done some musical projects.
Maude Apatow plays Lexi, Cassie's younger sister who is pursuing her Hollywood dreams in season three, serving as an assistant to Sharon Stone's character. In season two, she was working on her autobiographical play and flirting with Fezco, though their relationship didn't progress past that season given the death of actor Angus Cloud.
Apatow is the daughter of director Judd Apatow and actor Leslie Mann. She made her acting debut in 2007's Knocked Up and continued working throughout her childhood and teen years. In addition to her film work, Apatow has appeared on Broadway in Little Shop of Horrors and Cabaret and directed her first film, Poetic License, in 2025.
Model and actor Hunter Schafer plays Jules, Rue's close friend and sometime love interest. In season three, it looks like Jules is still pursuing her passion for art.
Schafer grew up in New Jersey and began working as a model before branching into acting, walking for brands like Marc Jacobs, Helmut Lang, and Miu Miu. Euphoria was her first major acting role and she worked closely with the team to ensure Jules was accurately represented as a transgender girl, including incorporating some of her own experiences.
Schafer appeared as Tigris in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, a Hunger Games spinoff film, and will star in the forthcoming Anne Hathaway pop star movie Mother Mary. She's also a Prada ambassador and frequently appears in the brand's campaigns.
Remember Rue's suitcase of drugs from Laurie? That plotline was definitely not forgotten, as actor Martha Kelly is back as the drug dealer — and she's looking for Rue.
Though she plays a dangerous drug dealer in the series, Kelly is best known as a comedic actor, with roles in shows like Baskets, Grace & Frankie, and Hacks. She earned an Emmy nod for her role on Euphoria in 2022.
Model and actor Chloe Cherry plays Faye, who briefly lived with Fezco and Ash and remains friends with Rue. Before landing the role, she appeared in adult films, and since her breakout in Euphoria, Cherry has done more modeling and appeared in a variety of projects — including an Urban Decay campaign and a cameo in the “360” music video by Charli XCX!
Actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is a new face in season three, playing the role of Alamo, a strip club owner Rue meets in the first episode. Akinnuoye-Agbaje was born in England and began acting in the '90s, later appearing in popular shows like Oz and Lost, for which he was nominated for an Emmy. His film credits include The Bourne Identity, Suicide Squad, and The Mummy Returns.
Toby Wallace is another new face we'll be seeing onscreen this season, playing a relative of Laurie's named Wayne who has a crush on Faye. Wallace was born in England and grew up in Australia. He began acting as a young teenager and was nominated for an AFI Best Young Actor for his role in Lucky Country in 2009. Since then, Wallace has appeared in films like 2019's Babyteeth.
Recurring characters
Oscar-nominated actor Colman Domingo returns as Ali, a recovering addict who serves as Rue's sponsor; he won an Emmy for the role in 2022.
Domingo has acted on television, in films, and on Broadway and been nominated for Tony, Emmy, and Academy Awards. In 2015, he joined the Walking Dead universe with a regular role on Fear the Walking Dead. Domingo has also appeared in If Beale Street Could Talk, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Rustin, The Color Purple, Sing Sing, and The Four Seasons. (He scored Oscar noms for Rustin and Sing Sing.) Next, we'll see him as Jackson family patriarch Joe Jackson in the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic, Michael.
The late Eric Dane, who died of complications from ALS in February 2026, returned to play Nate's father Cal Jacobs. Dane began acting in the ‘90s and landed his biggest role, Dr. Mark Sloan (a.k.a. McSteamy), on Grey’s Anatomy in 2005.
Nika King is back as Leslie, Rue's mom. King began acting and doing stand-up comedy in the early 2000s and has appeared in a variety of film and TV projects, including Hannah Montana, iCarly, and Modern Family.
Musician and actor Dominic Fike is set to return to his role as Rue's friend Elliott.
Fike grew up in Florida and began pursuing a music career, releasing his first EP in 2018. Since then, he's collaborated with Justin Bieber and Halsey, had songs on the Barbie and Spider-Man soundtracks, and played at Coachella.
James Landry Hébert as Harley
Actor James Landry Hébert (1883, The Righteous Gemstones) plays Harley, Laurie's cousin who helps with the drug business operations at the house with Rue, Faye, and Wayne.
Notable guest stars
Musician Rosalía will make her first major acting debut as a stripper at the club—one who wears a sparkly neck brace, as we see in the trailer. “If there’s anything that excites me as much as creating a good melody or writing a great lyric it’s becoming a better performer every day,” the musician previously said in a statement. “Euphoria has been my favorite series over the last few years, and I couldn’t be happier and more grateful to be acting alongside all of these incredibly talented people that I admire so much and contributing my ‘granito de arena’ to bring Sam’s vision to reality to make magic.”
Actor Kadeem Hardison played Zendaya's father on KC Undercover, making his Euphoria role a cute Disney Channel reunion between the two, but that's just one of many projects in his filmography. Hardison, who grew up in New York City, has acted in tons of TV and film projects and is best known for his role on the The Cosby Show spinoff series A Different World, which ran from 1987 to 1993.
Oscar-nominated actor Sharon Stone has a guest-starring role in season three, playing Lexi's boss, a TV showrunner. Stone won a Golden Globe for her role as Ginger in Martin Scorsese's Casino and won an Emmy for a guest appearance on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Anna Van Patten (whose sister is Grace Van Patten of Tell Me Lies) will act in Euphoria season 3.
Emmy-nominated actor Asante Blackk, known for This Is Us and When They See Us, is set to appear this season.
Social media creator Trisha Paytas will appear in season three.
Former NFL player and actor Marshawn Lynch is also joining the cast.
…is pretty extensive! Season 3 new guest stars: Emmy® winner Sharon Stone, GRAMMY® winner ROSALÍA, Actor Award nominee Danielle Deadwyler, Marshawn Lynch, Anna Van Patten, Emmy® nominee Asante Blackk, Bella Podaras, Bill Bodner, Cailyn Rice, Christopher Ammanuel, Christopher Grove, Colleen Camp, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Eli Roth, Gideon Adlon, Hemky Madera, Homer Gere, Jack Topalian, Jeff Wahlberg, Jessica Blair Herman, Justin Sintic, Emmy® nominee Kadeem Hardison, Kwame Patterson, Madison Thompson, Matthew Willig, Meredith Mickelson, Emmy® nominee Natasha Lyonne, Priscilla Delgado, Rebecca Pidgeon, Sam Trammell, Smilez, Trisha Paytas, Tyler Lawrence Gray, and Vinnie Hacker.
