Cloud, who attended the Oakland School for the Arts — where he met his future on-screen friend and co-star Zendaya — landed his role on Euphoria at just 21 years old thanks to a random street sighting by casting director Jennifer Venditti. “She asked me if I would be down to do an audition, but she didn’t exactly say what it was for,” Cloud told the Wall Street Journal in 2019. “I thought it was some type of scam.”
It definitely wasn’t a scam, and Cloud joined the series as Fezco “Fez” O’Neill, a drug dealer with a huge heart who is clearly pretty conflicted about providing drugs for Zendaya’s Rue, a girl who’s just returned from rehab and is struggling with serious addiction issues. Fez, despite his tough exterior, is surprisingly sensitive, caring deeply for his “younger brother” Ashtray (Javon “Wanna” Walton) and even embarking on a sweet would-be relationship with the bookish, sometimes reserved Lexi (Maude Apatow).
“Euphoria” is one of the many, many shows affected by the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, with its third season delayed — but there’s no word on how the show will handle Cloud’s passing this early on. Thanks to the series, though, Cloud’s performance and legacy will live on, as his co-stars and loved ones mourn this incredibly tragic loss.
