Jacob Elordi breaks down Nate’s ‘horrific’ death scene in ‘Euphoria’ Episode 7: ‘It’s a cool way to…’
Ever since high school jock, Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi), appeared onscreen in 'Euphoria,' fans have waited for his comeuppance. Nate was seen catfishing Jules (Hunter Schafer) and cheating on his girlfriend, Maddy (Alexa Demie), with her best friend, Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), proving himself to be one of the most toxic characters on the teen drama series. But he also had a redeeming moment when he helped turn his father, Cal Jacobs (Eric Dane), in for his crimes. In Season 3, which took a five-year jump, Nate accumulated nearly $1 million in debt while trying to get his construction company off the ground. The loan shark Naz (Jack Topalian) trashed him on his wedding night and proceeded to cut off his toe and finger to recover the money. When everything else failed, he buried Nate in a shallow grave on his construction site and ordered his wife, Cassie, to clear his debt within three days. However, by the time Cassie dug his grave, at the end of Episode 7, Nate was already dead. A rattlesnake bit him, which slithered into his coffin through a hole (left for breathing) and killed him.
In a behind-the-scenes clip from the episode, the 28-year-old Elordi broke down the pivotal scene, which required him to be "tucked in this box with dust falling on me and a snake coming down the pipe." Elordi revealed that the scene was not filmed in front of a green screen and he actually stepped inside a coffin, "I had to go into this coffin, my shoulders were touching the sides, and I couldn't move my arms. Then they would drill the lid on it, and it would get dark." Despite shooting in a confined space, he called the experience "quite peaceful." Furthermore, showrunner Sam Levinson stated that he wanted to use a real snake in the coffin, but could not use a venomous rattlesnake for "obvious reasons."
Elordi elaborated that they chose a non-venomous snake. "They had a boa constrictor that they put a fake rattler on the end of. The snakes were rattling, which is really alarming when you're locked in a box," he said. Elordi, who does not fear snakes, found it "super cute." He described the snake by saying, "He was real cuddly, so he just saddled up next to me, and it was nice. But he was really sleepy. I had to kind of nudge him to get him to come up." He reflected on his character's journey over the last three seasons. "Nate was someone who has made so many mistakes and made so many dark choices. It's cool to see it all come to what it's come to." The 'Wuthering Heights' star mentioned that ending Nate's story on 'Euphoria' with a snake bite was a "cool way to go." He added, "This show is a massive part of, not just my career, but my life. It's been amazing, and I'm so proud, being a part of this."
Shortly after the episode premiered, Levinson told Esquire that he "knew from the get-go that Nate was finished this season." He wanted to deliver such a gruesome end to the character that left fans questioning whether he deserved it. "How can I give them what they want, but make it so horrific and anxiety-inducing that by the time it happens, the audience isn't so sure they wanted it?" Stay tuned for the 'Euphoria' Season 3 finale, set to drop on May 31 at 9 p.m. ET only on HBO and HBO Max.
