‘Euphoria’ Cast Member Quit: Why Did Brian ‘Astro’ Bradley Leave?

HBO’s new series Euphoria is raw, controversial, and triggering. It’s receiving a high rating on IMDb, but some scenes this season are going to be pretty explicit, so some parents guides are warning parents to watch first and then decide if their children can see it. In fact, the series is so raw that one Euphoria cast member even quit over it. Read on to learn more.

Zendaya warned followers on Twitter before the premiere that the series is raw and honest, but might be difficult for some.

She wrote: “Just a reminder before tonight’s premiere, that Euphoria is for mature audiences. It’s a raw and honest portrait of addiction, anxiety, and the difficulties of navigating life today. There are scenes that are graphic, hard to watch, and can be triggering. Please only watch if you feel you can handle it. Do what’s best for you. I will still love you and feel your support. Love, Daya.”

For one actor, the graphic nature of the series was too much to handle according to some reports, so he quit.

That actor is Brian ‘Astro’ Bradley. He’s a former X Factor contestant and rapper, The Hollywood Reporter shared. Bradley, 22, was shooting the pilot when he decided he wanted to leave the show. The exact reason why he left hasn’t been revealed. The Hollywood Reporter noted that some sources said he was uncomfortable with some scenes that weren’t in the original pilot script.

HBO ultimately replaced Bradley with Algee Smith of The Hate You Give and reshot his scenes in the pilot. One of Smith’s scenes was a sex scene with Sydney Sweeney.

Smith plays Chris McKay on Euphoria. He talked with Bossip about his character, who’s best friends with Nate on the show. Chris is a freshman in college with a strained relationship with his dad, and he’s dating a girl named Cassie. He told Bossip that he immediately connected with the character when he talked about him with Sam Levinson. Smith added that his character is the only one who’s already in college. Smith told Bossip about one scene in particular: “I have this scene in one episode and it really challenged me as a man… It was an uncomfortable scene for me, but I had to learn how to separate myself and just be the actor because someone might be dealing with that type. I had to get over my masculinity issues, as a black man we often have to realize it’s okay to be in this position for a minute…”

You can read all of Smith’s interview with Bossip here. It’s not known if the scene Smith is talking about was the same one that caused Bradley to leave, but since Smith struggled so much with that scene, it’s certainly possible. Bradley has not spoken publicly yet about why he left and the cast of Euphoria have not revealed the exact reason for his departure.

Bradley has a list of impressive credits to his name, despite no longer being on Euphoria. He made a name for himself on X Factor. Here are some videos of him below on X Factor, about seven years ago.

Here’s a more recent video.

Bradley’s credits include I Am the Night (Nero), Bull, Red Band Society (Dash), A Walk Among Tombstones, Earth to Echo, and more.

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