Euphoria fans are still trying to process the absolutely insane death of Nate Jacobs, and somehow, the person taking it the calmest is probably Jacob Elordi himself. After Episode 7 of Season 3 aired, viewers watched Nate meet one of the most horrifying deaths the show has ever done. Buried alive inside a coffin by debtors, trapped underground, unable to escape, and eventually bitten by a rattlesnake, Nate’s ending felt brutal, claustrophobic, and honestly difficult to watch. But according to Elordi, filming it was strangely relaxing.
The actor appeared in HBO’s behind-the-scenes segment after the episode and admitted he actually thought Nate’s death was “a cool way to go.” He explained that being locked inside the coffin became oddly peaceful during filming because the darkness and stillness forced him to completely disconnect from everything around him.
“My shoulders were touching the side and they couldn’t move my arms,” Elordi explained. “Then they would drill the lid on it, and it would get dark. It was really nice, actually. It was quite peaceful in there.”
Which is honestly such a terrifying sentence to hear after watching that scene.
The craziest part is that the snake used during filming was apparently real. Elordi revealed that production used an actual boa constrictor with a fake rattlesnake tail attached to it for the sequence. While the sound effects made the experience scary, he described the snake itself as “cute,” “cuddly,” and surprisingly sleepy.
Apparently, the snake was so relaxed that Elordi had to physically nudge it to make it move during the scene.
Meanwhile, Sam Levinson explained that Nate’s death was designed to give audiences the karma they had been waiting for while also making them deeply uncomfortable about it at the same time.
According to Levinson, he wanted viewers to finally get Nate’s “comeuppance,” but in a way so horrific and anxiety-inducing that fans would question whether they actually wanted to see it happen.
And honestly, mission accomplished.
Nate Jacobs has been one of Euphoria’s most hated and most complicated characters since Season 1. Manipulative, violent, emotionally abusive, and deeply broken, Nate spent years terrorizing almost everybody around him. But despite all of that, his death still landed with emotional weight because the show forced audiences to sit with the horror of it rather than celebrate it.
The imagery alone was nightmare fuel. Nate screaming underground, trapped in sand, unable to move, while a snake slowly slithered toward him was one of the darkest scenes the series has ever done.
Elordi also admitted that leaving Euphoria feels bittersweet because the show changed his life completely. Before the HBO series, he was mostly known for Netflix’s Kissing Booth movies, but Nate Jacobs transformed him into one of Hollywood’s biggest rising stars.
“This show is a massive part of not just my career but my life,” Elordi said. “It’s been amazing and I’m so proud of being a part of this.”
And now, with Nate officially dead before the Season 3 finale, the entire emotional balance of Euphoria has shifted. Cassie is completely shattered, Maddie is furious and grieving in her own way, Rue’s situation is getting darker by the episode, and fans genuinely have no clue how this season is going to end anymore.
One thing is certain though: Euphoria really just buried one of its biggest characters alive and somehow made the actor call it peaceful. Only this show could pull that off.