Sam Levinson, the second-generation writer and director, has been the primary creative force behind some of the most envelope-pushing and polarizing small- and big-screen projects of the past decade, including the films Assassination Nation and Malcolm and Marie and the TV series The Idol and, most famously, Euphoria, the Emmy-winning HBO drama series about the troubles of a group of young people in present-day America, which recently wrapped its third and final season.

The 41-year-old created Euphoria back in 2019; cast as its lead Zendaya, an actress theretofore known for a Disney Channel series and family films; surrounded her with little-known young actors who have since exploded only Hollywood's A-list alongside her, including Jacob Elordi and Sydney Sweeney; and served as its showrunner for its entire run, while also writing all of its 26 episodes (only one with a collaborator) and directing 23 of them.

Over the course of a conversation at the L.A. offices of The Hollywood Reporter, Levinson candidly reflected on how his own battle with addiction shaped the show; what he made of the fiery discussions and debates about his handling of Euphoria and The Idol, which he followed on social media; how several real-life tragedies shaped the denouement of Euphoria; why he sees today's society metaphorically - and depicted it literally in Euphoria's final season - as a wild west, of sorts; plus more.

You can listen to the full conversation via the audio player above or read excerpts of it - lightly edited for clarity and/or brevity - below.

On the roots of his own substance and addiction problems, and how it impacted his own high school experience …

 From a very early age, I'd have extreme anxiety, panic attacks, things of that sort, also obsessive compulsive disorder. … When I was about 11, I got taken to a doctor who started prescribing me a lot of different medication, I think maybe a little too much medication, and I was taken out of sixth grade for a period of time because of all of the side effects and stuff. So I started to get a little more withdrawn, and then I started kind of e

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