‘Where is Alexa Demie?’ What happened to the only failed star of ‘Euphoria’

January 2022. Euphoria — one of the most ground-breaking shows of its generation — premieres its second season. The expectation is overwhelming. In the three years since its release in 2019 — a wait that was extended by the pandemic — the show’s ensemble cast of largely unknown actors has become Hollywood’s hottest stars. They have gained millions of followers on social media, and now receive dozens of offers to star on the front cover of magazines or to be the face of fashion campaigns.

The second season of Euphoria is a success, reaching record-breaking audiences that HBO has not seen since the end of Game of Thrones. Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney, Hunter Schafer and Alexa Demie become idols, destined to mark a before and after in the mecca of cinema. And that’s exactly what they have done.

Zendaya is considered one of the most important actresses of today; Elordi has become Hollywood’s new heartthrob thanks to roles in Priscilla and Saltburn; Sweeney has revived the romantic comedy genre with Anyone But You and Schafer is sought after by filmmakers such as Poor Things director Yorgos Lanthimos. But Demie — far from fulfilling the predictions of triumph that hovered over her — decided to flee the limelight. So much so that she has become one of the most talked about — and interesting — mysteries of the Hollywood Hills.

“Temporarily suspended.” That’s how HBO chose to announce that filming of the third season of Euphoria had been delayed. Filming was set to begin in just a few months, so that the season could premier in 2025.

The news shocked millions of fans, who have begun speculating whether this is the first clue that Euphoria will be cancelled. Fans point out that the cast has an increasingly hectic schedule, and that the actors are now getting close to 30, which could prove a problem given the series is about high school students. What’s more, HBO said in a statement that it was allowing the case “to pursue other opportunities.” Opportunities that, in the case of Alexa Demie, have surprisingly not materialized.

After the news of the suspension was announced, Demie’s name quickly went viral, as the actress — who plays Maddy Pérez in the series — has not appeared to have worked in the last two years. On the social network X, there is growing concern from users that they will not see Demie again after the show was suspended. One question is repeated again and again: “Where is Alexa Demie?”

It’s not an easy question to answer. Since March 2022, she has only posted on Instagram a couple of stories and an image for the Calvin Klein lingerie campaign, for which she was an ambassador. Her last red carpet photos on her account — where she has nearly 12 million followers — is from December 2022. She has no pending releases or shoots, and her name has not come up in any future castings. The actress — who just two years ago was described by the American edition of Vogue magazine as “the most interesting star on the red carpet,” turned Y2K into a global style phenomenon and collaborated with Balenciaga — seems to have disappeared from the Hollywood Hills without warning or reason.

Her public appearances from this period are made up of a literally two-second cameo on the controversial series The Idol and jumping on stage during a Madonna concert to perform Vogue with her. She was also Madonna’s guest judge for a voguing competition, an honor awarded to celebrities such as Úrsula Corberó and Donatella Versace at other concerts of The Celebration Tour. Demie’s friendship with the Queen of Pop was forged during the auditions to play the singer in the next biopic about her life. Demie was one of the finalists, but lost the role to Julia Garner.

In the hiatus from Euphoria, Demie also announced other projects, such as the launch of her own fashion, beauty and accessories brand and a film about the life of her mother, a professional makeup artist who immigrated to the United States from Mexico. But these projects also fizzled out.

Her extended silence — unusual in today’s era of overexposure — has sparked all kind of theories on social media. One recent video called The DISAPPEARANCE of Alexa Dema already has more than 125,000 views on YouTube. Setting aside the conspiracy theories, Demie’s decision to follow the style of the stars of the 1990s and recover a halo of mystery and secrecy comes down to the fact that she is a “very reserved” person, she says.

If Maddie was the alpha female of East Highland High School, with her sexy cut-outs and her larger-than-life character, Alexa was the introvert. “I was quite a loner in high school, and yeah, I just kept to myself,” she said in a podcast. “I was never a cheerleader. I didn’t really go to a lot of parties.”

Indeed, Demie is so protective of privacy that, even though she was a star after the premiere of Euphoria, her real age remained a mystery. In the style of the great divas — her idols are Sophia Loren, María Félix and Greta Garbo — she used to shave several years off the 33 years marked on her ID. Nothing is known about her love life either.

Be that as it may, the big question of when Alexa Demie will return to screens remains unknown. She herself admitted that just before landing the role of Maddy in Euphoria, she had decided to give up acting. “I wasn’t booking anything ever. Ever. It was really hard, especially because I feel like a lot of the lead roles I would go out for would go to a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl,” she said. “You never see a mixed or a Latin girl as a lead. Yeah, it was hard and I was over it, and I was over people saying no to me.”

Based on this admission, perhaps it can be assumed her break from work is due to her refusal to make her way in Hollywood by playing stereotypical roles. Demie may simply be waiting for a better opportunity, or creating the project herself (writing is another one of her talents).

Another possible clue about her current occupation is found in a 2023 interview, in which she discussed “a personal musical project.” This would make sense, given she tried — unsuccessfully — to become a solo singer between 2017 and 2021. Will third time be the charm? If success depends on raising expectations, it’s a fair bet that this time will be different.

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