The third and final season of Euphoria expanded the HBO show’s world far beyond the halls of high school and into the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles. When Rue (Zendaya) decides to work for strip club magnate Alamo (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), she soon becomes familiar with the many girls who dance at the Silver Slipper. One of the biggest standouts in the group? A new girl named Kitty (Anna Van Patten) who starts working at the club in Euphoria Season 3 Episode 4 “Kitty Likes to Dance.”
While we’re reportedly told that the Kansas native really does like dancing, things take a dark turn when she’s asked to entertain her first batch of clients. After a horrified Rue watches the men viciously sexually assault Kitty on the CCTV monitors, she asks the girl if she’s okay… And if she’s being forced to work at the Silver Slipper. This kind conversation is what kicks off Magick’s (Rosalía) distrust of Rue and a series of events that might eventually result in the death of the anti-heroine in the show’s finale.
When we last left Kitty, she was happily eating Twinkies en route to a shady Brazilian butt lift procedure in Mexico. What Kitty didn’t know, though, is that the ambulance that Alamo sent across the border is being monitored by DEA agents intent on catching fentanyl dealer Laurie (Martha Kelly) in the act.
DECIDER caught up with Anna Van Patten earlier this week to talk all things Kitty, BBLs, and hanging with the likes of Maddy (Alexa Demie) and Cassie (Sydney Sweeney)…
DECIDER: We learn from Alamo that Kitty is from Kansas. Do you have a broader sense of her backstory and how she got into this line of work? And what led her to the Silver Slipper?
ANNA VAN PATTEN: In my head, I did have an idea, but while playing her, I really just tried to focus not on her backstory and how she ended up in these situations, but just looking at her as a human, going through these experiences and playing her truth in the moment.
In your first episode, there’s a really harrowing sequence where you are entertaining men in a private room. Rue sees it, we see it. It’s awful what happens to her. I’m curious what it was like to tackle that scene and how safe you felt on set with the whole situation?
I’m so glad that on set and doing that scene, I felt so supported. I mean, everyone was being very delicate and they knew this was a very vulnerable scene. I’m just so lucky that the cast and crew — and there’s an intimacy coordinator — really looked after me and looked after all of us.
The scene that follows in the bathroom where Rue is trying to console Kitty, it’s kind of chilling because not only does Rue ask if she is being forced to do this, but Kitty’s response is, “I like to dance.” I’m curious: is she being forced to do this and why does Kitty love to dance so much?
I think the “I love to dance” is a genuine thing that Kitty likes to do. She maybe got into this thinking it would be something different. And I think she’s she’s in a bit of shock and she doesn’t know who she can trust.
What’s it like working with Zendaya in that scene? Because it’s very powerful to watch. The two of you share these unspoken, I guess, truths or secrets. We kind of know there’s a subtext that’s going on that’s not just in the lines.
Yeah, she’s such an amazing scene partner. Outside of her character, she’s just so warm and present, and you feel so safe around her that in the scene. She’s so generous. It was, yes, just so great to work with her and kind of watch what she she does up close.
One of the more fun storylines is how Maddy recruits Kitty and Magick to be two of her new girls. It’s such a fun sequence where Maddy is directing the photo shoots of the three of you and Cassie’s there. Can you tell me what it was like on the day to work with Rosalía and Sydney and Alexa on that sequence?
Yes, that day was so fun. It was almost two full days of doing photoshoots in the club and it felt so
“Euphoria.” I think because we had Maddy and Cassie there, but also in our full glam, and playing music. Then off-camera, just talking with them and they’re all so great and so fun.
Yeah, tell me about the glam. Euphoria is very known for its look, its hair, its makeup, its costumes. I know that they did a lot of work on the Silver Slipper girls to give them all their own individuality and all kind of their own sort of vibe. How did you respond to the costumes and the glam and what did it tell you about Kitty?
Well, it’s amazing because they are very collaborative in a way. And what I loved about Kitty is that she does have a glam arc in a way. We see her very pink and more innocent-looking, and then in the latest episode she has, she gets rhinestones and she gets the darker colors and the longer hair and the longer nails, too, if you pay attention. I think for the first time we see her, it’s just little pink sparkly nails and then they get longer and pointier. And I think that is because of Maddy’s influence and she’s trying to adapt to the world around her. But it was so fun because it helped me so much step into Kitty. Going through those hours of hair and makeup and then costumes, it felt like a total transformation and just so different from who I am. So it really helped.
Yeah, we learned in last week’s episode that Kitty is really excited because she’s going to go to Mexico to get a BBL. There’s something so sweet and funny about the way she tells the girls and how they look out for her. What did that mean to you? That there’s a scene where the girls want her to look out for herself and think about business and think about her health and safety?
Yeah. I mean, that scene was also so fun because you spend so much time with all the girls you see in that scene, and they’re all just so fun and so positive that I really did feel supported by them, just in life in general, because they’re just all so amazing. But I think, you know, she’s really excited to share this news because I think she’s really excited to get a BBL.
And how much ice cream did you get to eat for those scenes? Was that part of the fun?
Yes, so much ice cream. And I’m still learning of how to act with food because the same thing happened with me with the Twinkies, which you see me eating briefly in the back of the the medical van. I think I ate like 20 Twinkies and the ice cream, too. I ate so much just because I wanted it to feel real, even in the wide shot. But then I asked friends who are actors, like “What do you do?” And they’re like, “Usually you don’t eat that much until it’s here in the close up.” So it’s all a learning experience. But it was really fun to eat ice cream.
I haven’t seen the finale, but I understand that you have a significant role to play. Can you tease anything about what happens? How worried should we be for Kitty if she’s in the ambulance that the DEA is tracking?
Well, I haven’t seen the finale, and things change so much, even from what I’ve experienced. But I think you can expect a lot of action. I mean, from what I’ve seen, it was really huge, huge scenes. And, yeah, I don’t want to give too much away about if Kitty gets a happy ending or not, but I think she deserves one.
No, I agree with that. This is the third and final season of Euphoria. This show’s had a big cultural impact. What was it like to join this project at this point in its story? Because it feels like it’s a very momentous time.
Yeah. I mean, just to be a part of it. The thirdseason is so special, and I think this season is so, so different from the last two because it feels so big now. And I’m just so happy I got to to be a part of it.
What was your favorite thing about the whole experience? Was there a certain scene, a costume you wore, or friendship that you made? When you look back at Euphoria, what’s going to stick with you the most?
Well, there’s so much. One of the scenes was we drove in a car with Maddy and Magick down Hollywood Boulevard. It was just the camera and the car. We were just kind of improvising and talking, and it just felt like a “pinch me “moment. Of course, in the full hair and makeup, it just felt so Hollywood in a way that was really exciting. But I think Kitty will be my biggest takeaway. I learned so much about myself playing her.
The Euphoria finale airs tonight, May 31, at 9 PM ET on HBO and HBO Max.
This interview has been edited and formatted for clarity.
